


(Bat)Family Therapy

by LaBoluda



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DC Extended Universe, DCU
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, It's good I promise, Mental Health Issues, OC: Valentina Gomez, mentions of abuse, please read it, she's NOT shipped with any of the characters, she's not mary sue or self-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaBoluda/pseuds/LaBoluda
Summary: In which one very tired school counseler somehow finds herself becoming a therapist for the Wayne Family.And then most of the superheroes in the DCU.And the supervillains.She really deserves a raise for this.New Chapter(s) every Friday![On Hiatus]
Comments: 52
Kudos: 137





	1. What's up with the Waynes?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vox_nihilio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vox_nihilio/gifts).



Valentina Gomez had seen a lot of things over the years. But when she applied to be a school counselor at Gotham Academy, she figured it would be the easiest job of her life. After all, she had worked in the inner city of Gotham for years. So, a bunch of rich brats? No problem, right?

Wrong. Valentina had seen some dark things in the city, but the stuff that went on with these private school kids was another thing entirely. Rich people were messed up. As it turned out, the only difference between the problems here and the problems in the city were that, because of their money, no one ever faced consequences for anything they did. And that included both the children and their parents.

So, when Valentina started to notice that the Wayne kids were coming to school every day looking bruised and exhausted, she didn’t waste her time being surprised. Instead, so called up their files on her computer and started poking around.

Damian Wayne. The youngest of the bunch at ten years old, he was the only Wayne child who was actually blood-related to the family, the rest having been adopted. Cold and distant, didn’t have many friends in school, looked down on the other kids, not to mention having a short temper…yikes. Valentina had never seen so many warning signs at once. Not, at least, until she opened up the rest of the Wayne files.

Tim Drake. Adopted by Bruce Wayne after his dad was murdered. Not as quiet as the rest of his siblings, but still a bit more distant and secretive than she would consider healthy. And…Valentina frowned, flipping back to Damien’s file. Both of them had missed extended periods of school for unspecified “medical reasons”. Valentina could feel the alarm bells go off in her head. She opened the next file.

Cassandra Cain. Recently adopted by Bruce Wayne. Her other siblings might be antisocial, but this girl just straight-up didn’t talk. She was physically able to, but she seemed to have an aversion to it, a mental block or something along those lines. That was combined with an overall lack of social skills that made her hard to approach. Apparently, once she had been so still and so quiet for so long that a teacher had thought she had died. And again, the unexplained medical absences. Valentina was starting to see a pattern.

Jason Todd. He had graduated, but they still had his file and looking through it, Valentina winced. Another orphan, adopted by Bruce Wayne, he had gone to a school for troubled youths before transferring here. Valentina had enough experience to know “troubled youths” was code for “kids who society doesn't want to help, so we're just going to put them over here, then act surprised when they end up in prison in a few years.” When he had been adopted, people seemed to think he’d gotten a lucky break. Valentina wasn’t so sure. Looking at his file, it appeared he had some _serious_ anger issues and was constantly reported as having injuries from “fighting”. But Valentina had seen the rest of the Wayne family stumbling in with all kinds of cuts and bruises and she somehow doubted all of those injuries were just from getting into fights. Maybe being adopted by Bruce Wayne hadn’t been so lucky after all.

Richard “Dick” Grayson. The oldest, he had also graduated, but the pattern was still there. His parents had died, he was adopted by Bruce Wayne. Came to school with frequent injuries, long periods of missed school for “medical reasons”. And, of course, he was distant and weird with the students and teachers. Valentina sighed, sitting back in her chair. She had seen enough. Unless there was some Great Big Secret she was missing, there was something seriously wrong with that family. There was more going on in Wayne Mansion than people knew.

So. Probable child abuse, or at the very least child endangerment by the most powerful man in Gotham. Valentina frowned. She knew that she could bring the files forward, point out the patterns, maybe bring the kids in to show their injuries. But it wouldn’t be enough. Abusers could be sneaky. And this abuser (assuming it was Bruce Wayne), could probably buy the entire Gotham justice system without batting an eye. She needed more. She needed hard proof. And the only way she was going to get it was if one of the kids was willing admit what was going on, something that was a lot more difficult than it sounded. Even in the worst-case scenarios, people were hesitant to speak out against abusers. But she had to try.

Valentina turned her attention back to the files. She could ignore Dick and Jason for now, since they were out of school and therefore outside of any authority she had. Technically, most of the kids were outside her authority – she was only a counselor for the primary school building – but her fellow counselors in the upper grades were always far too busy dealing with college applications to care if she stepped in now and then. For now, though, she should start with what she had.

Valentina leaned towards her telephone, picking it up and dialing the number she knew would call Damien Wayne’s classroom. After a moment, a tired-sounding teacher picked up.

“Mrs. Anderson? This is Valentina Gomez, from the counselor’s office. Would you send Damian Wayne down to my office during lunchtime?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll tell him.” The phone slammed unceremoniously back down into the receiver and the teacher went back to whatever it was that had put her in such a bad mood. Valentina gave a grim smile.

She was on the warpath now, and she wasn’t getting off until she knew those kids were safe.

“Hi Damien! It’s good to see you.”

Valentina smiled hopefully and held out her hand to the child before her. Damien shook it warily.

“Why am I here?” His voice was commanding, though the effect was dampened slightly by the fact that he was holding a race car lunchbox.

“Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I like to check up on my students now and then.” Valentina smiled and hoped she didn’t sound patronizing. “You can have a seat. I was thinking we could have some lunch together.”

Damien sat, still cautious. As she reached down into her desk to pull out a sandwich, he followed suit, unzipping his lunchbox and pulling out his own meal. Valentina took the opportunity to give him a quick once-over and what she saw made her heart ache. Despite his neat uniform and polished, sleek look, he looked tired, with bags under his eyes that could rival those of a college student. And although his jacket covered his arms, his hands alone sent a shiver down her spine. The knuckles were bruised, and a nasty-looking scratch ran down his left hand, up his sleeve.

“That looks like it hurt.” Valentina said, indicating the cut, watching closely for his reaction. Instead of displaying his cuts and bruises proudly, like most boys his age would do, he pulled his hand back, farther into his sleeve and frowned.

“It’s nothing. I was playing with my dog and he scratched me.”

“Oh, I love dogs!” Valentina forced a smile, playing along, and reached for a picture on her desk. “Look, these are my dogs, Shadow and Bella.” Damien turned and looked dutifully at her dogs.

“They seem nice.”

“They are. They’re my little babies.” Valentina put the photo back, choosing her next words very carefully. “You know, Damien, I rescued them from a shelter. I love dogs, and I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt them. But sometimes people do hurt them. And the dogs usually don’t try to run away or defend themselves because they are so loyal and still love their families.” She glanced at Damien, but either he hadn’t understood what she was hinting at or was pretending not to.

“Damien, I rescued my dogs, but I don’t just rescue them. I rescue people to. Because sometimes people will also stay with families that hurt them.” She reached out and gently laid a hand on Damien’s arm. “I just want you to know, that if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

Damien eyed Valentina doubtfully and took another bite of his lunch.

“Yes, Miss Valentina.”

Valentina frowned. She didn’t want to push him on it, but anyone could see that this kid was not being cared for. She loved her job and she loved being able to help people and it killed her to see situations like this. She tried another tactic.

“So, how are your siblings? Are they doing okay?” She already knew the answer. She had been assigned drop-off duty this morning and had used the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the brothers as they were entering the school. Tim had a black eye, badly concealed by his hair and some makeup. She had frowned. It was very unlikely that a boy his age would be covering up an injury like that unless there was a reason he needed to.

“They’re fine.” Damien shrugged. Clearly, he wasn’t going to open up. Valentina watched his reactions carefully as she responded.

“Oh, that’s good. I just wanted to make sure because it looked like maybe they were hurt when I saw them.”

Damien tensed slightly and didn’t respond.

“Did the dog give Tim a black eye to?” Valentina asked lightly.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Damien snapped, instantly defensive. “He just got hurt, that’s all!” Valentina flinched.

“It’s just that, you and your family seem to get hurt an awful lot and I just…” She hesitated, trailing off. She shouldn’t make accusations yet.

“You just what?” Damien’s face was pale and upset. Valentina bit her lip.

“I just wanted to make sure everything was okay at home.”

“Everything’s fine!” Damien said, in a tone of voice that showed that everything was clearly _not_ fine. Valentina frowned. She had hoped this wouldn’t get confrontational.

“I’m sorry, Damien.” She smiled, trying to soothe him. “I just needed to be sure. It’s my job, you know.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry.” Damien answered angrily.

Valentina forced a smile and dropped the subject, instead asking Damien about school, about his friends, hoping she could build up his trust and repair the damage she had done. But after the confrontation, he just wasn't talking. He answered the questions with one word or with a shrug, barely looking at her. When the lunch bell rang, Damien bid her a cold goodbye and left her office, leaving Valentina sitting at her desk in dismay.

She shook her head. She hadn’t gotten through to him, but at least she could be certain now. There was no doubt that something was going on with the Wayne family. And she was determined to find out what.

Checking the clock, Valentina hurriedly got to her feet. The older kids ate lunch later than the younger ones, which meant if she hurried, she could still talk with Tim or Cassandra.

Hopefully, one of them would be more talkative than Damien.

When Valentina arrived in the upper-school cafeteria, it was already packed, filled with the sounds of a hundred kids all talking at the same time. She was so glad that she didn't have lunch duty more than once a month. As much as she cared about the students, the cafeteria was a headache no matter what.

Valentina glanced around, scanning the crowd for either of the other Wayne kids. After a moment, she caught sight of them. Tim was sitting with some friends, chatting away cheerfully. Despite the bruise on his face he seemed happy. Cassandra, on the other hand was sitting in a corner by herself, picking at her food and glaring at anyone who walked by.

Valentina sighed and headed over to Cassandra, not wanting to disturb Tim’s happiness. Who knew how long it would last?

Cassandra looked up as she approached, ready with another glare. Seeing it was an adult, she hurriedly looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. Valentina frowned.

 _“Hi, Cassandra.”_ Valentina slid onto the bench across from Cassandra, who looked up nervously, then back down. She was using sign language as she spoke. From the file, she knew that Cassandra wasn’t deaf or mute, but it felt more polite to talk and sign. Besides, this way, it would be obvious that Valentina knew sign language and maybe it would make the girl more willing to talk.

_"I’m Miss Valentina. I’m one of the school counselors.”_

_“I’m fine.”_ Cassandra signed, not looking up. From the annoyed expression on her face, it seemed like Valentina wasn't the first adult to check up on her. The school generally encouraged teachers to try to talk to a kid who sat alone at lunch - not that it usually helped. " _I just want to sit by myself.”_

 _“Oh, I understand. Sometimes you just want to be alone.”_ Valentina ducked her head slightly, trying to catch the girl’s eye. _“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”_

 _“Yes.”_ Cassandra looked exasperated. _“My grades are fine, no one’s bullying me at school, I have friends. I’m fine.”_

Valentina nodded, falling silent. The girl was smart, and she wasn’t going to listen to Valentina’s metaphors about rescuing dogs. If she was going to get Cassandra to open up, she was going to have to be direct.

 _“I’m not worried about you being quiet or wanting to be alone. Some people are just more introverted than others.”_ Valentina shrugged _. “And you’re smart, so I’m sure everything is fine at school. But I need to ask you, is everything okay at home?”_

Cassandra looked up sharply, meeting Valentina’s eyes for the first time.

_“Why?”_

_“Oh, I don’t know. Tim has a black eye. Damien’s arm is cut up.”_ Valentina reached across the table and gently took Cassandra’s hand, turning it over so you could see the back.

“And your knuckles are bleeding.”

Cassandra snatched her hand back and stood up, her movements tight and quick. Valentina blinked in surprise. This girl had good reflexes. Cassandra hesitated for a moment, staring down at Valentina. Then, she turned and hurried out of the room. As she passed by, Tim looked up and, sensing something was wrong, stood as well, saying something to his friends that Valentina couldn’t hear before running after his sister.

 _Crap_. Valentina frowned. Not only had she scared Cassandra away, but now Tim would find out from his sister what had happened, which meant, most likely, he was going to be avoiding her like the plague. Valentina sat, trying to think of a new approach, when the lunch bell rang. Students began throwing their trash away and walking out, joking and laughing and living their normal lives. Something that the Wayne kids were not going to be able to have. Not at this rate.

Valentina slowly got to her feet and began making her way out of the building. But, to her surprise, as she was leaving, a voice called out from behind her.

“Miss Valentina!” She turned and was startled to see Tim Drake running towards her. “Wait a minute!” He caught up to her with ease and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Tim. I guess you know that, though. I just wanted to say sorry about Cassandra. She can be…a little odd. She’s fine, though. And so am I and Damien. It’s just that we take self-defense classes and sometimes accidents can happen.” Tim smiled, gesturing to his eye. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh.” Valentina smiled sadly. She wanted to believe Tim. She really, really did. But she couldn’t. For one thing, the story didn’t match with what Damien had said. And for another, she didn’t know a single parent who would let their kids continue to take self-defense classes when they were regularly injured _that_ badly. Another bell rang and Tim turned away.

“Sorry, I have to get to class.” He waved as he ran back down the hallway and Valentina could do nothing but wave back and watch him leave.

These kids were in even deeper than she had thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> Hey guys! This is the first chapter of my first published work and I have to say, I am very excited! I would love your feedback, so feel free to comment. I'll try my best to respond to everyone!


	2. Some Stuff Happens

Over the next few weeks, Valentina did everything she could to help the Wayne kids. She researched them and their father, scouring all the records she could find. She tried talking to Damian a couple more times, but he was sullen and silent, barely responding when asked a question. She also walked over to the upper school building, where the older kids stayed, trying to find his siblings. Cassandra and Tim were polite but cold, and whenever she hinted that there might be something wrong at home, they played dumb or brushed it off.

Valentina was not deterred. If anything, her suspicions and determination grew with every failure. Every time Cassandra told her she was just a bit tired, she would note the bruise not completely hidden by her rolled-up sleeves. Every time Tim pretended not to notice the hints she dropped, she was watching as he tried to hide a limp. And Damien…well, it was enough to make your heart break.

And it wasn’t just the injuries, either. The other kids at the school seemed to avoid them, which was never a good sign. And then there was the problem that none of them looked like they got nearly enough sleep. Valentina had noticed the bags under their eyes and the cautious looks they gave anyone who approached, but she didn’t realize just how big the problem was until one Wednesday, a week after her first confrontation with the Wayne kids.

Valentina had stopped by the main office to check her mailbox and as she was gathering up her paperwork, Tim Drake walked in, looking guilty. He was holding a little green detention slip and Valentina looked up, interested.

“Did you fall asleep in class _again_?” One of the secretaries asked. Tim nodded and the woman rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Tim?” Valentina stepped forward and Tim looked up, holding back a yawn.

“Hi, Miss Valentina.” He smiled sleepily and Valentina frowned.

“Do you fall asleep in class a lot?” she asked, and Tim nodded, looking down at his feet.

“Sometimes.” The secretary raised her eyebrows disapprovingly and gave a _hmpf_ from behind the desk. Valentina wasn’t so quick to judge.

“Well, why do you think that keeps happening?”

“Oh…” Tim looked surprised. “I mean, I guess I’m tired. Does it matter?” He shrugged. “I fell asleep in class, so I have to get detention.”

“It matters to me!” Valentina sat down beside Tim. “How much sleep do you usually get at home?” Tim shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“I don’t know. The normal amount.” Valentina crossed her arms and Tim looked away. “Well, maybe less. Sometimes I can’t…fall asleep right away. But I always get at least three hours.”

“At least three hours?!” Her tone was sharp, and he flinched. “Tim, that’s not nearly enough! You’re supposed to be getting at _least_ eight hours!”

“Oh.” Tim looked a bit surprised,as if he hadn't considered it before. Valentina sighed. Why was it that all teenagers thought that the normal rules of human behavior didn't apply to them? “Well, it’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”

“No!” Valentina exclaimed, looking around in disbelief. Was no one else concerned about this? The secretary was chewing a piece of gum and didn't look particulary worried. “Tim, not getting enough sleep doesn’t just mean a few detentions! It can mess with your brain, it weakens your immune system, it makes you slower and less coordinated, not to mention the effects on your mental health.”

Tim frowned slightly but didn’t respond. Valentina sighed, reaching over and plucking the detention slip out of his hand. He looked up, surprised, as Valentina tore it up.

“Hey, what-”

“You aren’t getting in trouble just because you aren’t getting enough sleep.” She declared, throwing the scraps of paper into the recycling bin. “I’ll talk to your teacher and tell him that you’re excused.”

“Really?” Tim got to his feet, relieved. “Thanks, Miss Valentina!”

“Hold it.” She marched over to the secretary’s desk, picking up a pad of passes. Scribbling on one, she tore it off and handed it to Tim. “That is a pass to the nurse’s office. I want you to go lay down for a while and actually try and get some sleep. I’ll talk to your teachers.”

“Wow, thanks.” Tim took the pass. He looked for a moment like he was about to say something else, hesitating. Valentina held her breath hopefully, but after a moment, Tim turned away, waving a goodbye.

Valentina waved back and watched him go, sadly. At least now he would be getting some sleep. But she hadn’t missed the way he was holding his left arm slightly away from his body, like he had hurt it.

Or, more likely, like someone else had hurt it.

After weeks and weeks of unsuccessful attempts to get the Wayne family to tell her anything, Valentina was disheartened. But try as she might, she wasn’t getting any closer to anything helpful. Not, at least, until she met Dick Grayson.

It was pure luck, really, but she had gone on a walk that day to clear her head and there he was. School was about to let out, and fancy cars, some with parents, but most with nannies or servants, waiting to pick up kids, filled the parking lot. Instinctively, she tried to pick out the Wayne’s car, driven by their butler, an older man named Alfred. But instead of the ever-present elderly gentleman, a young man was standing outside, leaning against the car, peering down at his phone.

Valentina squinted and after a moment, she recognized him. Richard Grayson. The eldest son. She glanced at her watch. There was five minutes before school let out. Alright then. Let’s see what she could get done in five minutes.

“Hi. Are you Richard Grayson?” He looked up, surprised, as she approached.

“Just Dick. But, yeah, I’m him.” He smiled in a charming sort of way, but Valentina was too busy to notice.

“My name is Valentina Gomez. I’m a counselor here at the school. I know your siblings and I need to talk to you about something.”

“Of course.” Dick looked concerned. “Are they in trouble?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking of, but yes, they might be.” Valentine took a deep breath. She only had five minutes, so she was going to be blunt.

“Damien, Cassandra and Tim have all missed extended periods of school for unknown medical reasons. When they do come to school, they are quiet in class and don’t have many friends. Cassandra and Tim both have a history of broken bones, far beyond what is normal. And all three of them regularly come to school with injuries. Not to mention, none of them are getting nearly enough sleep.” As she spoke, she could see a worried look growing on Dick’s face. “Listen, I don’t know who or what is causing this, but something is. I just need to make sure they’re safe at home.”

There was complete silence for a minute. The bell rang from inside the building and behind them, kids started streaming out the doors, free for the weekend.

“Well. That’s a lot.” Dick smiled again, looking uneasy. “Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Kids run around and roughhouse and get hurt sometimes. Accidents happen.” He shrugged.

“But-” Valentina was cut off by a familiar voice.

“Dick! Hey, I didn’t know you were going to pick us up!” Tim approached them, shielding his eyes from the sun. He caught sight of Valentina and stopped short. “Oh. Hi, Miss Valentina.”

“Hi Tim.” Valentina knew she was out of luck, but she turned back to Dick to search his face anyway. It was smiling and happy, but it was also a complete lie. She could see him watching her cautiously out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey, buddy.” Dick greeted his brother, then turned back to Valentina. “I’ll keep my eye out for anything wrong, I promise, but it’s probably nothing.”

And that was it. She had been dismissed, waved away, like nothing was wrong. Cassandra and Damien were approaching the car and Tim was chatting with Dick. Valentina turned to leave, and she could feel the group watching her. Still hiding their secrets. Or, more likely, their father’s secrets.

She needed a drink.

That night, Valentina did something stupid. She had a few drinks, not many, but enough that she knew she shouldn’t drive home. But instead of calling a taxi or Uber, she decided to walk. By herself. At night. Through the streets of Gotham city.

It took about ten minutes for things to go wrong.

She was just turning down her street to her neighborhood when she saw them. A couple guys, walking along, both drunk and laughing. She didn’t like to judge based on looks, but they looked rough. And she was a woman alone at night. Valentina was tipsy, but not stupid. She crossed the street and turned down another alley, going the long way around. Better safe than sorry.

The problem was, however, that as she turned down the next street, she found herself face to face with something much worse than a couple goons.

A very tall, very muscular man stood before her. Armed to the teeth, a half-black, half-orange mask obscured his face from her view. Valentina froze. There were far too many supervillains in Gotham for her to keep track of, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was one of them.

“Um, hi?” She squeaked. The man’s hand dropped to one of the many weapons at his belt. His eyes narrowed.

“Okay, not hi. Listen, I didn’t see anything, so I’m just gonna-” Valentina turned to make a run for it, but the man moved fast, grabbing her arm. _Shit_. She tensed, ready for an attack, but at that moment a voice rang out from the rooftop above them.

“Slade!” The grip on her arm slackened as the masked man turned. Another masked man in blue and black stood above them, but this was someone she recognized. Nightwing. Valentina sighed in relief.

“Hello, little bird.” Slade looked like he was smiling under the mask.

“What are you doing back here?” Nightwing demanded, dropping down to the pavement in front of them.

“I have my plans.” The man holding her had a deep, terrifying voice and was clearly thinking of using her as a human shield. But he was distracted, looking at the vigilante instead of at her. So, Valentina did the only thing she could think of. She turned and kneed him in the groin.

Slade let out a grunt of surprise and pain and let go of her. And Valentina turned and ran. She dashed out of the street, heading towards her apartment building and, fumbling nervously with the keys, she managed to get inside. Up the stairs, to her door, opening it and slamming it behind her. She took a deep, shaky breath, collapsing on the couch and trying to calm down.

This wasn’t the first time Valentina had been in a dangerous situation. She had grown up in Gotham, so every time a villain threatened the city, she had been there. And once, out at the mall with her friends, they had seen Harley Quinn running by, making her escape after having caused some mischief that involved stealing a bunch of very fashionable clothing. But this was much more personal than any of the times before.

Valentina shuddered. At least she was alive. And she had gotten a good hit in. She hoped that Nightwing had taken the opportunity to attack, while Slade was down. After all, he was fully armed and clearly dangerous. Not to mention much older than whoever Nightwing was.

Valentina sighed. Why was it that everywhere she looked there were children suffering? Of course, no one knew Nightwing’s exact age or identity, but most people assumed that he was a former Robin, and judging by how long he had been around, you could estimate that he was in his 20s. He was an adult now, but as Robin he had been a child. It was ridiculous, really what superheroes could get away with, but you couldn’t say things like that out loud in Gotham. People got very defensive about their heroes, even if it was extremely unethical to fight alongside literal children. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like, especially since the Robins kept dying, some of them multiple times. Not to mention the injuries, both physical and mental that fighting psychos was sure to cause. And fighting every night, they definitely weren’t getting enough sleep.

Valentina shook her head and started getting ready for bed. She had just started to drift off to sleep when it drifted through her mind how familiar Nightwing had seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more characters! Dick is a tired older brother, but also somehow the most responsible person in the family. Also, Slade (a.k.a. Deathstroke for those of you who aren't super familiar with the fandom) is one of my all-time favorite villains, especially in the original Teen Titans show. Anyway, I am pretty excited for this chapter, please tell me what you guys thought!


	3. Gordon is Tired and Damien can't do his Homework

Valentina rolled out of bed bright and early Saturday morning. Most people liked spending their weekends relaxing and forgetting about their jobs and usually, Valentina agreed. But this was different. She couldn’t bring herself to have a relaxing weekend when there were children in danger. Especially not when she could help.

After eating breakfast and going over some of the notes and evidence she had gathered, Valentina grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She wasn’t ready to make a formal complaint yet, although she would have to soon. But she had a couple friends down at the police headquarters and she could start to test the waters, maybe do a little research while she was there.

Valentina pulled up outside the police HQ half an hour later, determined as ever. Stepping up to the front desk, she smiled at the man sitting there.

“Is Commissioner Gordon busy right now?” Valentina asked. She was not the biggest fan of the police, but she had worked with the commissioner in the past, helping kids out of bad situations.

“Let me check.” The man said, punching in a number on his phone.

“Tell him it’s Valentina Gomez.” She added.

“Hey, Commissioner? You busy? There’s a woman here who wants to see you. Valentina Gomez?” There was a pause. “Alright, I’ll tell her.” He hung up, turning back to Valentina.

“You can go back and see him. Do you know where his office is?” Valentina nodded, and the man waved her in.

Reaching the Commissioner’s office, Valentina knocked.

“Come in!” a voice called from inside.

Valentina pulled the door open and walked in, seating herself in a chair opposite the tired-looking man who had his glasses slightly askew.

“Hello, Miss Gomez.” Gordon smiled, although he looked exhausted. Not that Valentina could blame him, working a job like this. “So, what do you have for me today? Another crime that’ll make me question my faith in humanity?”

“Maybe.” Valentina gave a sympathetic smile and passed Gordon her notes. “I want you to take a look at this for me. I don’t have enough for a case, yet, but I was hoping you might be able to give me some more information on a parent from my school.”

Gordon took the file and opened it, flipping through. His eyebrows went up and let out a low whistle.

“Tell me this isn’t who I think it is.” Valentina looked guilty and Gordon sighed. “These are Bruce Wayne’s kids, aren’t they?”

“Yep.”

“Jesus, Gomez.” Gordon put the file down on his desk. “You had to pick the most powerful guy in Gotham, didn’t you?”

“I do what I have to.” Valentina responded. “I need to make sure these kids are safe. Will you look into it for me? Please?” Gordon frowned, but nodded reluctantly.

“I’ll see what I can do.” As he spoke, the door swung open and a pretty girl in a wheelchair who could only be Barbara Gordon made her way into the office.

“Dad? Are you ready to go to lunch?” She made her way past Valentina, nodding a greeting. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, it’s fine, I was just leaving.” Valentina smiled. At least there was one family in Gotham who were doing (relatively) well. As she got to her feet, reaching for the notes that still lay open on the desk, Barbara looked over curiously, catching sight of the file.

Something about the files must have startled her. A strange expression flashed across her face and Valentina looked up, surprised, but Barbara had already turned away. Whatever it was that had surprised her, she was hiding it well and Valentina shook her head. Maybe she had just imagined it.

“Thank you again.” Valentina said, shaking Gordon’s hand with a smile. As she left the station, she couldn’t help but wonder if Barbara Gordon was hiding something.

Valentina had spent her morning running errands and her stomach was starting to make grumbly noises. So, before she headed home, she pulled over next to a small, local, middle eastern place she knew to grab some lunch.

A sweet older woman happily took her order and Valentina smiled, looking around for a seat, when she spotted a familiar face at one of the tables nearby.

“Damien?” Valentina approached and Damien looked up.

“Hello.” He answered, seeming distracted. He bent his head back down to the table, glaring at a piece of paper before him. Valentina knew there was only one thing that would cause anyone to make the face Damien was making right now: homework.

“Need help?” She offered, taking a seat across from him. Damien hesitated, then nodded, pushing the paper across the table for her to look at.

“See if you can understand this, because I don’t.” He grumbled. Valentina glanced down at the paper and winced. It was some kind of reading for an English class, a packet accompanied by a long list of questions such as “identify the theme of the story”.

“Yikes.” She sat, staring at the paper for a moment. “This is giving me a headache just looking at it.”

“I know!” Damien glared at the paper like he was willing it to burst into flames. “It’s stupid! I don’t know why I need to learn all this. I’m never going to use it.”

“Exactly.” Valentina nodded at the familiar words. It was a sentiment shared by most of her students in the school and she had said the same type of thing when she had been their age. “You know, when I was school, half the time I didn’t even do my homework.”

“But you work for a school now.” Damien pointed out, looking surprised. Valentina shrugged, pushing the paper back towards Damien.

“Well, I think the answer to the first question is A, but with English class, who knows. Sorry, that isn’t very helpful.”

“It’s fine.” Damien sighed and circled A on the first question. “My teacher hates me anyway.”

Valentina opened her mouth to protest, before remembering Damien’s English teacher was Mrs. Anderson. She shut her mouth again. As Damien stared at his homework, the woman from the counter dropped off Valentina’s food and smiled at Damien.

“I am glad you can sit with him.” She told Valentina, placing her plate down on the table. “He comes by himself every week.” As she trotted off, Valentina turned curiously to Damien.

“By yourself?”

“It’s fine.” Damien rolled his eyes. “I just don’t want to be in the house sometimes.” Valentina felt a pang of worry. It was understandable to want some space from your family sometimes, but given her suspicions, his response could have a much darker meaning behind it.

“Here.” Valentina craned her neck to see the paper. “Let’s keep trying to crack this, okay?” Damien nodded, looking relieved she hadn’t asked more about his family.

Valentina turned her attention to the worksheet. She may not be able to solve all of Damien’s problems right now, but she would be damned if she couldn’t at least help him with his homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Because these next chapters are kind of short, I'm posting two this week and a LOT happens in the next one, so buckle up...


	4. Meeting Batman (and immediately starting a fight)

It was Monday morning and when she walked into school that day, Valentina was still bothered by the events of that weekend. Her close call with Slade had put her on edge and Barbara’s strange reaction still lingered at the back of her mind. But more than that, something about Nightwing had been nagging at her ever since their encounter. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Valentina was sure she was missing something.

“Good morning, Miss Valentina!” She was snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Down the hall, Principal Johnson waved a greeting. She waved back. Oh well. Whatever was going on with her personally would have to wait. She had kids to take care of.

That morning was a busy one. Two fights broke out in a third-grade classroom that Valentina had to help mediate and one first grader had come into her office crying because of a stuffed animal she was _convinced_ had been stolen. Valentina reassured the girl and spent almost an hour looking for the thing. By the time they had found it, it was noon and even though Valentina was exhausted, she had lunch duty. So, grabbing a snack from her desk, she headed over to the cafeteria.

When she walked in, the cafeteria was already half-full and as noisy as ever. Valentina sighed and resigned herself to the sound of screaming children. She took up a post in the far corner of the lunchroom and leaned against a wall, waiting for the bell to ring so it could be over, and she could get back to her quiet, peaceful office.

It was then that she noticed Damien Wayne. He was sitting at the far end of a table, by himself. Seeing him alone made Valentina sigh in the same sad way she did whenever she noticed any kid by themselves at lunch. Just then, Damien twisted around in his seat to throw out a piece of trash. Valentina’s blood froze in her veins.

A nasty-looking red mark ran down his face to his neck. His lip was busted, split partially open and he winced when he took a bite. And that was only his face. Valentina could only imagine what other injuries he might be hiding underneath his uniform. She felt her blood begin to boil. What kind of monster would do this to a child? And whoever it was, they hadn’t even been bothered to hide it! Most abusers would at least have the sense to only leave marks where they wouldn’t be seen, but this person was so confident that they could get away with it that they didn’t even try.

Valentina felt sick. And not just sick, but angry, absolutely furious. Not only at the person who did this, but at herself, for not being able to stop it, and at this whole damn world, for being the kind of place where parents would hurt their own children. God, he had been fine yesterday when she saw him! Why hadn’t she stopped him from going home, she should have said something, should have done something!

Valentina could feel her face flushing in anger as she made her way with quick, purposeful strides over to where Damien sat.

“Miss Valentina!” He caught sight of her and flinched, like he had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. His hand few up to his face. It was obvious he knew what she was going to say, and he didn’t look happy.

“We are going to my office and we are going to have a talk.” She said. It wasn’t a request. Damien got to his feet reluctantly, following her out of the cafeteria and down the hall. They reached her office quickly, and Valentina took her seat, Damien following suit, looking like _he_ was the one who had done something wrong. Valentina took a deep breath. _Stay calm._

“Miss Valentina, I swear, it was just an accident, I fell down-”

“No, you didn’t Damien.” She looked at him and her anger turned to sadness. “Enough excuses. I want to help you, but I can’t unless you tell me the truth.”

Damien was silent. Valentina sighed and buried her head in her hands.

“Damien, listen to me. One way or another, I have to report this. But unless you or one of your siblings tells me something, the investigation probably won’t be able to get enough evidence to convict. I can’t intervene without proof.”

“What? No, no, no.” Damien shook his head. “Miss Valentina, please, it’s not what you think. You can’t report this!”

“I have to. I should have sooner. I was just hoping I could get one of you to talk to me first.” Valentina looked at him sadly, then sighed. “I’m going to call your family in and go get the principal and then we’re going to have to call someone in to start the investigation.”

“No!” Damien shot to his feet, looking panicked. “Wait! Just…just call my father first. Please. He can explain.”

There was a pause while Valentina considered her options. Finally, she sighed. She didn’t believe for a second that Bruce Wayne could convince her of anything, but she was willing to try. At least this way she might finally meet the man she knew she would have to watch out for.

“Alright.”

Damien pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number, handing it to Valentina. She waited. After a moment, someone picked up.

“Damien, this had better be an emergency.” An annoyed voice answered the phone and Valentina’s lip curled.

“Mr. Wayne? This is Valentina Gomez. I’m a counselor at your son’s school.”

“Oh, god.” The voice on the other end immediately became worried. “Is he okay? Did something happen?”

“Yes, I would say something happened.” Valentina gritted her teeth, trying to stay professional. “Your son came into school today with severe injuries to his face.”

“Oh.” Bruce Wayne sounded relived. “Oh, that’s nothing. You know how boys are. He was just playing around and he fell.”

“Really?” Valentina asked. “Did he fall last week to? And the week before that? And Tim and Cassandra? Have they also been falling down?”

There was a long pause at the other end of the phone. Valentina smiled bitterly.

“May I speak to Damien?”

“No, you may not.” Valentina answered. “And unless you have a better explanation then ‘he fell’, I’m afraid I will be contacting social services and you will not be speaking to _any_ of your children for a while.”

“I can explain.” The voice on the other end didn’t hesitate to answer and Valentina stopped, surprised. Of course, he wasn’t necessarily telling the truth, but he seemed sure of himself, confident. “I just can’t do it over the phone. I understand how this must look, Miss Gomez, but please, if you would hear me out, I can be there in ten minutes.”

Valentina hesitated. God, she wanted to believe him. But there was Damien with his busted lip, looking up at her anxiously…

“Fine. Ten minutes.” She snapped, giving in. He had better have a damn good explanation.

Valentina sat at her desk, scowling to herself. She had sent Damien back to class, not trusting his father to be in the same room as him. Now that she was thinking about it though, maybe she should call another staff member in here. She wasn’t sure she trusted this possibly dangerous man to be in the same room as _her_. She was just about to get up and go find someone when a deep voice from behind her made her jump.

“Hello, Miss Gomez.”

Valentina whirled around and found herself standing face-to-face with Batman himself. She blinked. He was still standing there.

“What the fuck.”

“I’m here about Damien Wayne.” Valentina stared, slowly processing what was happening.

“Oh my god, did Bruce Wayne just send you to threaten me? You know him, right? Is this a threat?” she glared at the masked vigilante. “I’ll have you know that he is not who you think he is.”

“Miss Gomez, you don’t understand.” He reached upwards, removing his helmet. “I am Bruce Wayne.”

Valentina felt her brain stop working for a second as she stared at the familiar face. Then, as it started up again, everything suddenly made sense. The injuries. The missed school. Why Nightwing had seemed so familiar.

“So, Damien is…Robin? And Cassandra is Batgirl. I guess Tim is…Red Robin? That explains a lot.” Batman – or Bruce Wayne – sat down in the chair across from her like it was the most normal thing in the world and Valentina fought the urge to laugh.

“I believe this is a good enough explanation.” Bruce Wayne smiled in a charming way, flashing his teeth at her and Valentina smiled back. She felt a wave of relief sweep over her and for a moment she relaxed. She knew what was happening to the Wayne kids. They didn’t have an abusive father. But slowly, something else began to dawn on her. Damien’s face flashed across her mind and Valentina stopped smiling.

“Wait…you let _Damien_ be Robin?”

“Yes?” Bruce looked confused. Valentina stared in disbelief.

“You let a _ten-year-old_ be Robin.”

“Oh, well, Damien is very advanced for his age and he can fight nearly as well as I can, so-”

“Who cares how good he fights?” Valentina cut him off. She could hear her voice rising, but she was too mad to care. “He’s _ten_! A ten-year-old brain can’t handle that! I mean, he goes out every night to fight complete psychos, like the Joker! An adult brain can’t even handle that! Do you really think that isn’t going to affect him?”

“Well, I-”

“Jesus Christ, do you know what that kind of thing could do to his mental health? Even if he wasn’t coming to school every day looking like he just walked out of a war zone, what do you think that’s going to do to his mind? And what about the rest of them? They’re older, but not much!”

“Miss Gomez, really, he can take care of himself.” Valentina gaped at him. Bruce Wayne shook his head in a condescending sort of way, as if to say _she doesn’t know what she’s talking about._ He stood, replacing his helmet.

“What’s important is you know that the kids are safe at home. And now that that’s all cleared up, I have a meeting to get to. Excuse me.” She blinked and he was gone, leaving her to sit there and wonder what the _hell_ she was supposed to do now.

Valentina wasn’t sure what had just happened, or what would happen next, but she did know one thing. Though they might not have an abusive father, the kids were in even more danger then she had thought.

She was going to _murder_ Bruce Wayne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, BrUcE wAyNe is BaTmAn? Who could have guessed?  
> So, yeah...Valentina didn't figure this one out by herself, but every gotham citizen seems pretty oblivious to that, so I figured this was a good way to go. Also, Bruce Wayne swooping in mysteriously in full uniform is such a drama queen move, but also pretty in-character.


	5. Update

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let my readers know that I'm still alive and the next couple chapters will be posted next week at the usual time. Sorry I haven't been able to put them up this week, I've just got some family stuff going on. Thank you all for your support!

Next week: Valentina meets Jason and comes up with an idea so crazy that it just might work...


	6. That Nosy Guidence Counseler

It was a few days after Batman had appeared in her office, and Valentina found herself even more frustrated than before. She was stumped. Despite the fact that the Bruce Wayne seemed to think everything was fine, that there had only been a misunderstanding, Valentina was more worried for the kids than ever. An abusive parent, she knew how to deal with. She could have protected them from that. But the whole criminal underbelly of Gotham city?

Not that she had given up. Instead, Valentina had turned her efforts to research on trauma disorders. She wished there was a superhero support group of some kind, but there were none to be found. She had checked. Multiple times.

Part of her wanted to let the kids do what they had to do. After all, she had seen them fighting on TV, she had heard stories. They were well-trained to defend themselves. But that didn’t stop them from coming to school looking exhausted and bruised. And besides, even if they could defeat everything thrown at them, there was no way they were going to grow up without some extremely serious mental health issues.

Even before she had learned Gotham’s biggest secret, Valentina had been against child vigilantes. She had mentioned to her coworkers, to friends, to acquaintances, that she didn’t think that it was smart to let children be superheroes, or sidekicks to superheroes. She had always sort of frowned when she heard about them on TV, wondering why no one else was bothered. But before, it had been something distant. Now it was personal. She knew who these kids are, and she _knew_ what they were doing was hurting them. Her own eyes showed her the proof. But what could she do? No one else seemed to care.

Valentina saw no choice but to check up on the kids when she could, making sure they were (more or less) mentally sound, or at least not having a breakdown. Now that the secret was out, the kids seemed much more relaxed around her, although she got the feeling that they were keeping an eye on her as much as she was keeping an eye on them. After all, they wouldn’t want her telling their secret. Not that she would, of course. They were already dealing with too much and adding that to the list wasn’t going to help.

Valentina sighed. If only there was something that she could do…

A knock on the door caused her to look up. Cassandra was standing awkwardly in her doorway, looking embarrassed.

 _“Is everything okay?”_ She asked. Part of her expected tears and tragic tales of mental anguish. After all, she definitely had some. But Valentina also knew that the chances that she would be allowed to hear those stories were low. Talking about things like that was never easy and the more you’d dealt with, the more you kept quiet. And Cassandra had probably dealt with more than all the other kids in her grade put together.

 _“Everything’s fine.”_ Cassandra reassured her, signing quickly _. “I just wanted to say…”_ she hesitated, her hands dropping to her sides.

Valentina smiled encouragingly. Cassandra blushed slightly, then continued.

 _“Thank you.”_ She looked down at her shoes. _“For…looking out for us.”_ Her ears were bright red as she moved her fingers, and Valentina suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to hug her, although that probably wasn’t the best idea since the poor kid could barely handle a simple “thank you”.

 _“Of course, honey.”_ She smiled. Cassandra blushed even brighter and nodded, avoiding her eyes.

 _“Bye.”_ She turned and ran, practically fleeing the room.

Valentina sighed a happy little sigh. It was things like that that made her job worth it. It had probably taken Cassandra ages to try to say that. But she had done it. As much and she and her brothers pretended otherwise, there was a bit of a softie in each of them, hidden behind layers of trauma and pride.

Turning back to her desk, Valentina redoubled her efforts. She was going to protect these kids.

Valentina had just finished breaking up another playground fight and she was exhausted. She trudged back to her office and threw herself into her chair. She loved her job, but kids could be really annoying. She took a deep breath; glad it was over. Immediately, the phone rang.

Valentina groaned, picking up the receiver, expecting to hear a panicked or annoyed teacher, but instead a familiar voice made her sit up in her seat.

“Gomez? It’s Gordon.”

“Hey!” Valentina smiled, glad to be (for once) the bearer of good news. She could tell Gordon it was a false alarm, no abusive parents, but before she could say anything, Gordon cut her off.

“It’s about the favor from this weekend. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can do anything, Valentina. I mean, we’re talking about Bruce Wayne here and you don’t have enough proof. It just isn’t feasible without one of the kids saying something.”

“Oh, it’s okay!” Valentina jumped in, hurriedly. “It was a false alarm. Sort of. It’s complicated, but I don’t think the cops need to get involved.” _Or even_ can _get involved._ She added to herself. After all, what would she tell them?

“Oh, thank god.” She could hear the relief in Gordon’s voice and although she was glad not to drag her friend into this, something about his tone made her frown. Even if Bruce Wayne was (sort of) innocent, she didn’t like the idea that he had the police department under his thumb like this.

“Hey, did something happen? That made you decide to call me?” She asked, cautiously.

“Well…” Gordon sounded unsure. “Not really. I talked it over with some of the people here and we all agreed there wasn’t much evidence. And I know this isn’t hard proof, but my daughter and I have met the guy before, and he always seemed clean.”

“Oh, okay. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” Valentina responded. The two said their goodbyes and Valentina hung up the phone, frowning. Something about Gordon’s tone had sounded off to her. And the whole thing was a bit odd…

Valentina sighed. It was pretty common knowledge that Batman worked closely with the police force. And she had a sneaking suspicion that if Gordon had been talking to Batman, Bruce might have warned him off the case. He was innocent, at least of what Valentina had initially accused him of, but the whole thing made her uneasy. Bruce Wayne was powerful enough by himself. He practically owned half of Gotham. But being Batman on top of all that, gave him even more control.

If she was going to convince anyone that child vigilantes were a bad idea, her work was going to be even more cut out for her than she thought.

Valentina was relaxing at home, watching TV. It had been a stressful day. A stressful week. Heck, it had been a stressful month. And It wasn’t over yet. The Wayne kids were still out on the street, running around, giving themselves traumatic experiences. But there wasn’t anything she could do about it tonight.

Just as Valentina had started to nod off to sleep in front of the TV, there was a loud crash from outside her window. Starting awake, she glanced out, curious. She didn’t live in the best neighborhood, so she used to some general chaos at night, but this had sounded close.

Outside, some kids, barely teenagers, were standing on the sidewalk, messing around and getting into trouble. And one of them had just smashed her car windshield.

Damnit.

Valentina sighed, getting to her feet and grabbing her coat. Now she was going to have to leave her comfy sofa to go chase some kids away.

She hurried downstairs and stepped out onto the street, ready to see a couple of teenage boys laughing as they ran away. But it looked like someone had gotten to them before her. A tall man in a red mask stood over the kids. One of the boys had stumbled backwards and fallen onto the sidewalk, looking terrified. The other one was being held by the collar, tight in the vigilante’s grip, and he seemed like he might cry.

“Hey!” Valentina called out, hurrying over. “Let them go!” Red Hood whipped around.

“Stay out of this.” He growled. Valentina didn’t recognize his voice, but she knew there was only one Wayne kid she hadn’t met yet. Jason Todd.

“It’s my car! Just let them go, they’re only kids.” The masked superhero hesitated, confused and Valentina put her hands on her hips. “Oh, come on. Didn’t you used to get into trouble just like this when you were their age?”

Red Hood dropped the boy he was holding, who let out a whimper and scrambled away, his friend hurrying after him. He turned and faced her, looking wary. She smiled and held out her hand.

“My name is Valentina Gomez. Your dad told me about…all this.” She waved her hand, gesturing at his costume.

“I know about you.” Jason responded, using a voice so deep it was obviously fake. “You’re that nosy guidance counselor.”

“That’s me!” Valentina responded cheerfully, still holding out her hand. Jason ignored it, turning his back.

“Whatever. Sorry about your car.” He turned to go, but he hadn’t yet mastered the art of disappearing as quickly as his dad. As he turned, Valentina caught sight of a large gash in his neck, and even through the red of the fabric, she could tell it was bad.

“Wait!” Immediately, her mom instincts kicked in. “You’re bleeding!”

“What – oh. Yeah.” Jason turned, looking down to where she was pointing, then shrugged. “That happened a while ago.”

“And you’re just going to ignore it?” Valentina asked, looking at him in disbelief. Were all the people in this family completely self-destructive? Jason sighed like she had just asked him the stupidest question in the world.

“It’s fine.” Again, he turned to leave, but Valentina was not having it. She glared and put on her best teacher voice.

“Jason Todd, if you do not do something about that, it is going to get infected.” Jason turned back around and even from under the mask, Valentina could tell he was rolling his eyes. “Don’t make that face at me young man, you can’t fight criminals when you’re injured.” Grabbing him by the arm, Valentina began to march back to her apartment.

“We are going to take care of that right now.” She informed him. Jason spluttered a protest, but she was dragging him along and after a moment he followed, reluctantly.

A few moments later, Valentina had opened the door to the apartment and seated Jason at her kitchen table, hurrying off to the bathroom to find her first aid kit. When she came marching back, brandishing disinfectant, Jason scowled.

“I’m fine, really-”

“Yes, you and everyone else in your family keep telling me that, but you are bleeding out in my kitchen, so please shut up!” Valentina snapped and Jason fell silent. She crossed her arms, looking at him expectantly and with a huff of annoyance, he took off his mask so she could look at his wound. Valentina frowned. He had the same bags under his eyes as all his siblings and even though he was barely an adult, his eyes had the sunken, haunted look of a veteran returning from war.

“You don’t need to – ow!” Jason hissed as Valentina dabbed at the wound with the disinfecting alcohol. “That stings!”

“It’ll be a lot worse if I don’t do this now.” Valentina responded. Jason mumbled some rude words under his breath, which she chose to ignore. “Besides, this can hardly hurt worse than any of the other stuff you’ve been through.”

“Whatever.” Jason made a face and Valentina softened a little. He was as frustrating and stubborn as the rest of his family, but she could tell that he was biting back the pain. Luckily, the gash wasn’t too deep, but it looked ragged and nasty. Whatever had cut him was not as clean and smooth as a blade. It must have hurt.

Valentina cleaned and bandaged the wound, Jason scowling the whole time. When she was finished, he started to stand up, but she already had him in her grip, and she wasn’t about to let him go back to trying to get himself killed. She pushed him back down in the chair.

“You are not going anywhere until I am sure that you aren’t going to bleed through those bandages.” Valentina scolded. “And when was the last time you ate anything?”

“I don’t know.” Jason answered, annoyed. “Does it matter?”

“Yes!” Valentina frowned. “How are you supposed to fight if you can’t even take care of yourself! Honestly!” Stomping over to the fridge, she pulled out some things and turned on the stove. Jason started to protest once again, but Valentina silenced him with a glare.

The kitchen was silent except for the sizzling of the stove, and in a few minutes, Valentina had scooped a grilled cheese sandwich onto a plate and handed it to Jason.

“You are the most infuriating person I have ever met.” He informed her, taking the plate. She smiled.

“Thank you. Now, how many marshmallows do you want in your hot chocolate?”

All too soon, Jason had eaten his sandwich and drank his hot coco. His bandages had held, and Valentina couldn’t stall any longer. Jason got to his feet.

“Be careful, please.” She warned him as he headed to the door. Every bone in her body wanted her to tell him he shouldn’t go back out to where he would be facing every danger Gotham city could throw at him, but she knew he wouldn’t listen. Jason rolled his eyes, pulling his mask back over his head. As he reached the door he hesitated.

“Thanks.”

And then he was gone. Valentina sighed, smiling slightly to herself. She had helped, at least a little. As she got ready for bed, her mind was whirring, still going over ideas, something, anything, to help guarantee their safety.

The problem was that she wasn’t going to convince Batman that it was too dangerous for the kids out there. And she doubted she could persuade the supervillains to stop attacking.

And then Valentina had an idea.

A horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad idea.

Valentina bit her lip.

It was crazy. And it was a long shot. A really long shot. But if she could pull it off…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your patience! This chapter is a bit late but I hope you like it! I was very excited and I think it might my favorite one so far. Also, Jason really needs a hug.


	7. A Bad Idea

Valentina grew up in Gotham city, so she knew which places you had to avoid. The places that were filled with everyone from petty thieves to supervillains, and you could find an assassin or hired thug in every corner. Villain bars and hangouts for the Legion of Doom. Most people avoided them, and every now and then a superhero or some cops would get brave and raid these places. But for the most part, they were a place for the dark side of the city to enjoy themselves.

Most people only knew of these places because they tried to avoid them, but Valentina had worked with enough troubled kids to know a bit more than the average citizen. For instance, she had heard of an event that was held at one of these places, hosted by the Legion of Doom. An event known as VillainCon.

Yes, as silly as it sounded, there was a conference held by and for supervillains. But somehow, standing where she was now, Valentina didn’t think of the event as silly. No, it seemed serious. Deadly serious.

Valentina was currently standing in a line with some of the most infamous criminals known to the city. At the front of the line, a bored-looking man was taking down names on a clipboard. The way it worked was that you gave your name and information on a panel idea for the convention. If you were accepted, you would be given a pass and you would be presenting the following weekend.

This was probably a bad idea, Valentina thought to herself. The presentation won’t get accepted. They won’t listen to me. But she stayed in line. Maybe it was the idealist in her, or maybe it was her complete lack of options. But she had to give it a shot.

Finally, Valentina arrived at the front of the line. The man with the clipboard glanced up at her.

“Name?”

“Valentina Gomez.” She winced, as he copied it down. She probably should have tried to come up with a fake name.

“Is that your villain name?” The man asked.

“Um, no. I don’t have one.” The man snorted.

“So, you’re new?”

“Not exactly. I’m technically not a villain.” Valentina bit her lip. Why did she have to be so damn honest all the time? Making up lies on the spot was turning out to be harder then she had thought.

“You’re not a villain?” The clipboard man looked up at her suspiciously.

“Not really. I’m just a normal person.” She shrugged and did her best to look non-threatening.

“How’d you get in?”

“Well, I sort of…bribed someone. A little.” Valentina answered nervously. For a moment, the man looked angry, but then he laughed.

“Well, you might not be a villain, but you sure do think like one.” He chuckled, shaking his head, allowing Valentina to see the other side of his face. The side of his head that had been turned away from her was distorted, the flesh burned away. As far as she knew, there was only one villain that fit that description.

She was standing next to Harvey Dent. Two-Face.

“Well, what’s your presentation about?” The villain asked and Valentina forced her eyes away from his face and back to the task at hand. At least this was a question that she knew how to answer.

“Protecting children, but in an evil way that makes Batman look bad and possibly destroys him forever.”

Dent raised an eyebrow. Only one. The other one couldn’t raise because it had been burned away.

Valentina shuddered.

“Well, that’s an interesting one. Will you need any special props for the presentation?”

“I don’t think so. Just a projector and a microphone.”

“Alright, then.” Dent wrote something else on the clipboard, then handed a laminated pass on a lanyard to Valentina as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Have an evil day.”

“You too.” Valentina took the pass and hurried away. Her heart was pounding, but she felt exhilarated. She was going to make a presentation at VillainCon. And she was going to help those damn kids.

Valentina had been trying to put her presentation for VillainCon together. However, it seemed the universe was determined to make everything she did as difficult as possible for her. For the past fifteen minutes a fly had been circling around, distracting her as it zipped by her ear. She had waited patiently for it to land and when it did, she was ready with a rolled-up magazine in her hand.

Of course, the fly decided to land on the ceiling.

Valentina sighed and began to climb up on her desk, wobbling slightly as she stretched up to reach it. Almost there…

“Um…is this a bad time?” The fly took off at the sound of the voice. Valentina frowned and turned around.

“Hi, Tim. No, it’s fine, I was just trying to get this fly-” The bug in question flew past her ear and Valentina spun, looking after it. It hovered in the air for a minute, then flew away, past Tim, out her door and down the hall. Valentina relaxed.

“Anyway, how can I help?” She smiled, turning back to Tim.

“Oh, well…” Tim looked down at the floor and scuffed his shoe on the ground. “I was just wondering if you would let me take a nap in here? I asked the nurse, but she kicked me out.”

“Of course!” Valentina grinned. “Why do you think I have a couch in here?”

“Thanks.” Tim ducked his head, embarrassed. “I wouldn’t ask, except there was a big fight last night and I-”

“It’s okay Tim, really.” Valentina cut him off. “You need your sleep.”

“Thanks, Miss Valentina.” Tim flopped onto the couch, looking relieved and Valentina smiled. Now that the fly was gone, she could focus on her work, so she settled down in her chair and turned back to her computer.

In about five minutes Tim was asleep and Valentina smiled to herself. He looked much younger now, the worried, wary expression gone, and she was glad that, for once, he seemed peaceful.

Of course, nothing can last forever.

Several hours had passed since Tim had fallen asleep – way too long for a normal nap, but the kid probably hadn’t slept in days. Valentina had sent off emails to his teachers, making up a quick excuse that should keep them happy for a while. Tim was sound asleep, his breathing steady and even. But after a moment, it began to speed up.

“No.” Tim muttered, shaking his head. His body tensed, moving in his sleep. Valentina stood, worried as Tim’s breathing spiked. He was obviously having a nightmare, and while Valentina didn’t know what it was about, she knew that it wasn’t anything good.

“No!” Tim jerked upright, panting, as his eyes flew open. Valentina hurried to his side as his eyes darted around the room in fear.

“Hey, hey, Tim, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Valentina sat down on the couch next to him, slowly, trying not to startle him. After a moment, he seemed to regain his bearings and he scrambled to his feet.

“S-sorry.” He stammered. He had calmed a bit, but not much and he was still breathing heavily. “I should go.” He turned, ready to dart out of the room, but Valentina called him back.

“Tim, wait!” She got to her feet. “It’s okay, really!” He hesitated in the doorway and Valentina tried for a comforting smile.

“It’s literally my job to make sure you’re okay.” She reached out gently. “I can’t just let you run away when you’re upset like this!”

“I-I’m fine.” Tim answered. He did not look fine. Valentina pursed her lips.

“Tim, sit down. Please?” Hesitantly, he moved away from the door and back to the couch. Valentina sat as well, scooting over to give him his space. As much as she wanted to hug him, it was all too likely that it would spook him, especially considering how worked up he was.

“Okay, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Tim shook his head and Valentina sighed, inwardly. “That’s okay, we don’t have to.”

She waited, taking loud, deep breaths and after a moment, Tim began to copy her, relaxing slightly. A few minutes passed and Tim sighed, looking drained.

“I’m sorry.” Valentina frowned.

“There is absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about.” She told him, gentle but firm. “None of this is your fault and you don’t need to feel guilty about it. I promise.” Tim looked at her doubtfully.

“You still think this is all dad’s fault.” Valentina winced. “It’s not. He hasn’t done anything to us.”

“Tim…” Valentina paused. It was something he needed to hear – all the kids needed to hear – but it was also something that had to be handled carefully. “I know your dad cares about you. And I don’t think he wants anything bad to happen to you. But you shouldn’t be out there, fighting like this. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m not a little kid.” Tim snapped and Valentina sighed.

“I know. It’s not about that, Tim. It’s just that…well, you’re out fighting every night and getting hurt.” She gestured to a bruise on his arm and he frowned. “And I don’t just mean physically. Mentally, your brain has had to deal with a lot of trauma, which is even worse for you because you’re younger and your brain isn’t developed all the way yet. And not getting enough sleep makes it even harder for your body to deal with all that.”

Tim frowned and turned away, but Valentina continued.

“I can’t make you listen to me, Tim. And I can’t make your father listen either. But I hope you will. Because I don’t want something bad…or at least, something worse, to happen to you or any of your siblings.” Valentina stopped and there was a long pause. Finally, Tim spoke.

“I know. You’re probably right. But…I can’t just stop. It’s my job. I have to help people.” Valentina nodded, smiling.

“Of course, you do!” Tim looked up surprised and Valentina continued. “But it’s my job to help people too. I can’t stop. I have to help whenever I can. Which means, that as long as you guys are out there looking out for other people, I have to look out for you.”

“Oh.” Tim smiled and Valentina smiled back. “Well, then I guess I can’t stop you either.”

“Not a chance.” Valentina grinned. The dismissal bell rang and they both jumped, startled out of their conversation as the school day ended. Valentina got to her feet.

“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

The two made their way through the halls, following the flow of people out the front door and into the sunshine. It was a surprisingly nice day for Gotham, where it was usually dark and rainy. Out in the parking lot, Alfred was waiting with Dick. Seeing them, Valentina waved.

“Hey, what’s up?” Dick greeted the pair cheerfully as they approached.

“Not much.” Tim shrugged and although he was no longer upset, he wasn’t quite back to be his usual cheerful self either. Over his head, Valentina caught Dick’s eye.

“Hug him.” She mouthed, gesturing to Dick. He looked confused and Valentina rolled her eyes exasperated. “He had a bad day, just give him a hug.”

Awkwardly, Dick leaned forward, putting one arm around his brother. Tim looked up, confused.

“What are you doing?” Valentina groaned to herself and buried her head in her hands. They were _hopeless_. Dick pulled away from the hug, clearing his throat.

“Um…”

“Oh, never mind.” Valentina waved her hand and Tim shrugged, getting into the car. Dick winced as Valentina gave him a look of disbelief.

“So, is he okay?” Dick asked. Valentina nodded and sighed.

“No worse than usual, at least. But he told me he didn’t get any sleep last night.” She crossed her arms and Dick nodded, frowning.

“Last night was a mess. There was this whole thing with Poison Ivy and then…” Dick shook his head. “It was a lot.”

“Well, can you please make sure he gets some sleep tonight?” Valentina asked. Dick nodded and gave a silly grin.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, and while I’m here, I just wanted to say thank you.” Valentina smiled. “I don’t know if you remember, but the other night there was that guy…Slate or something in the alley near my house and you rescued me.”

“Do you mean Slade? That was you?” Dick’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t tell, it was so dark! I should be thanking you, you’re the one that distracted him for me when you kneed him.”

Valentina shrugged, smiling. But in the back of her mind, something was bothering her. She had signed up for VillainCon and was _absolutely_ going. But if Slade was a supervillain, wasn’t there a chance he would be there?

This hadn’t been her best idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...so...yeah...  
> Also, sorry about the formating! It will be fixed tomorrow at the latest, but my laptop is not working now so I'm doing this on my tablet.


	8. So, that's not great...

Valentina had always taken her job very seriously. To her, it was more than just the thing she did to get paid – it was something that could help people and that she enjoyed doing. However, there were some people who might argue that she was a little _too_ passionate about her job. That maybe she needed to chill out a bit.

Valentina was not one of those people.

It had been a very normal day and there had been hardly any trouble at the school, something Valentina was grateful for. She had just swung by her favorite carry-out place downtown and was waiting in her car for her order to be ready. As she waited, there was the rumble of thunder in the distance and she looked up, frowning at the cloudy sky. It looked like it was going to rain. Again.

Valentina sighed, but just as she looked away, a sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She squinted out her windshield as the first few drops began to fall. Above her, two figures were jumping from one building to another, chasing each other. Occasional sparks and smoke followed them as they traded blows. And one of them was definitely wearing a child-sized bat costume.

“Oh, come on!” Valentina threw open her door and stepping out into the light drizzle. _Didn’t they just get out of school? Why are they already doing this?_ She wondered, glancing around for something that might help.

The two fighters had paused on top of the building next to the restaurant and Valentina hurried forwards. Spotting a nearby fire escape, Valentina scrambled upwards, trying very much to ignore her fear of heights.

“Hurry!” She muttered to herself, racing upwards. She reached the top and pulled herself over the edge onto the roof where the two figures were still locked in combat. One wore a distinctive red and black outfit with pigtails and was swinging at the other with a baseball bat. The other was cloaked in bat-spandex and Valentina instantly recognized Cassandra, dodging and twisting out of the way.

“Hey!” Valentina yelled, waving her arms as she charged towards the figures. “No, no, no! That’s enough!” The two looked up in surprise and Valentina continued her charge forwards, planting herself squarely in between the combatants.

“Who the hell are you?” A cheery voice asked. Valentina turned towards the one and only Harley Quinn and frowned.

“Who the hell are _you_?” Valentina shot back. “I _thought_ you were Harley Quinn, the psychologist turned supervillain, but I must have been mistaken because I don’t know a single psychologist – not even an evil one – who would attack a child!”

 _“Get out of the way!”_ Cassandra signed angrily, but Valentina ignored her.

“I mean, really, everyone thinks Batman is such a hero but he’s out here training children to do his dirty work for him! And then you just attack them! Look at her, Quinn! She’s barely a teenager!”

“Huh.” Harley had been watching Valentina with a mixture of curiosity and amusement and when Valentina gestured angrily towards Cass, she peeked over her shoulder, staring at the kid, who glared. She lowered her bat and cocked her head to the side.

“Well, lady, I ain’t gonna argue with you on that. But _she_ attacked _me._ I was just defending myself.” Cass snarled and started forwards, but Harley wasn’t finished. She stepped towards Valentina, who flinched slightly.

“All I’m saying is that this is very…um…unethical.” Valentina stammered nervously. “And as a psychologist, you should know what this kind of lifestyle would do to a kid’s mind. Just…leave the kids alone. Please?”

“I hafta say, you’ve got guts, lady.” Harley grinned. “Alright, then. I’ve had enough fun for today anyway.” With a wink, Harley turned on her heel and bounded away, disappearing in moments. Valentina let out a sigh of relief and turned to face Cassandra. Even with the mask on, Valentina could tell she was annoyed.

 _“That was stupid.”_ Cassandra glared at Valentina. _“You could’ve gotten hurt.”_

“You could have too!” Valentina exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. “That’s the whole point! How is my safety more important than yours?!”

Cassandra was silent and Valentina sighed.

 _“Fine, yes. That was stupid and I could’ve gotten hurt. But I didn’t and you didn’t either!”_ Valentina said, signing along as she spoke. But Cassandra wasn’t looking or listening. Turning away, she shook her head and took off in the opposite direction Quinn had gone and before long, she was out of sight as well.

Valentina sighed and turned back to the fire escape. The rain had picked up and now she was wet, cold, and disappointed. Oh, well. At least she had talked Harley Quinn out of doing anything. As her adrenaline rush began to wear off, Valentina realized just how close she had come to danger. But instead of scaring her off, the fear only made her more worried for the kids. They had to do this every day, with people much less playful than Harley.

Valentina frowned and stepped into the restaurant to pick up her order. She had to help them! The only thing she regretted was that Cassandra was mad at her and she didn’t know how long it would last.

If she was as stubborn as the rest of her family, it would take something serious for her to change her mind.

It was the end of the day and Valentina was sitting in her office at the school, preparing for her presentation at VillainCon that weekend when there was a knock on the door. Hurriedly, she pushed her notes into a desk drawer, slamming it shut.

“Come in!” She smiled, ready to meet an annoyed teacher or crying student, but instead when the door opened, Damien, Tim and Cassandra stood in the doorway, looking worried. The smile slid off Valentina’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s wrong with Dick.” Tim blurted out.

“Nothing’s wrong with him.” Damien growled. “He’s just being weird.”

“What would you know.” Tim snapped, glaring. He turned to Valentina. “He won’t come out of his room and he won’t let us tell dad that something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Damien hissed and Tim whipped around to glare at his brother. As the two exchanged deadly looks, Cassandra stepped forward.

_“We’re sorry to bother you, Miss Valentina. But we didn’t know who else to ask.”_

“Never apologize about asking for help.” Valentina was already gathering up her things. Who knew what traumatic experience could have happened to Dick while he was out patrolling the streets? Valentina grabbed her coat and turned to the kids. “Let’s go.”

Outside, Alfred was waiting with the car. He raised his eyebrows slightly as Valentina approached, but made no comment, only opening the door for her as she got in before starting up the car and driving away.

The ride was tense. Valentina could feel her worry growing by the second and the fact that Damien and Tim were bickering again was not helping. She sighed and turned to Cass.

_“Are they always like this when they’re together?”_

_“Pretty much.”_ Cassandra grinned. Valentina smiled back, but she was worried. Siblings fought, there was nothing unusual about that, but a sibling rivalry in a clearly dysfunctional family where all the members were trained fighters probably wasn’t a good thing. Not that she had time to worry about that. There were a million problems the Wayne’s were facing and this was pretty far down on the list. Right now, she was more worried about them getting killed by supervillains. Valentina shut her eyes and prayed that Dick was okay.

When they pulled up to the house, Jason was waiting by the entrance, looking worried. The group rushed the stairs to the house, leading Valentina through the halls of the mansion at a pace that made her scramble to keep up. For someone insisting nothing was wrong, it was obvious Damien was worried. Cassandra followed close behind, quiet and anxious, the Harley Quinn incident clearly forgotten.

“He’s in here.” Jason pointed towards a door at the far end of the hallway and Valentina nodded. Time to do her job. Gently, she rapped her knuckles against the door.

“Dick? It’s Valentina. Are you okay in there?” There was a pause.

“I’m fine!” Valentina frowned. Well, at least she knew he was still alive.

“How long has he been in there?” She asked.

“A few days.” Jason shrugged. Valentina shook her head. It amazed her that any of these kids had survived this long.

“Dick, I can’t help you if you don’t let me in!” She called. “Come on, you’re scaring your brothers.” Damien opened his mouth to protest that he was _not_ scared, but Tim kicked him, and he shut it again with a scowl.

“I’m fine! I just need to be alone for a while!” Dick called back in a tone that was completely unconvincing. The kids turned expectantly to Valentina. Time to use her teacher voice. Valentina rolled up her sleeves, calling through the door again.

“Richard Grayson, I am going to count to five and if you don’t open this door I am going straight to your father!” Silence from the room. Valentina began to count.

“One…” She paused.

“Two…”

“Alright, alright!”

The door swung open a crack. Cautiously, Valentina stepped in, motioning for the boys not to follow. Dick had backed away from the door, but even from here, she could see the dark circles under his eyes. Dressed in sweats that seemed like he had been wearing them for a while, he looked like he had been through hell and back.

“I’m sorry, you didn’t need to come.” Dick glared towards the door, where his siblings stood, peeking in. “I told them not to tell anyone.” Valentina frowned.

“Don’t you blame them for this, Dick. You haven’t come out of your room in days. If they hadn’t been worried, they wouldn’t be very good siblings.” Dick opened his mouth, but Valentina shook a finger at him. “And don’t you dare tell me you’re fine. People who are fine do _not_ hide in their rooms.” Dick closed his mouth. Valentina sighed. In a much gentler tone, she continued.

“Talk to me, please. You don’t have to be embarrassed about not being okay. I mean, I have a mental breakdown almost every week and I don’t even have to fight supervillains.”

Dick gave a somewhat sarcastic smile and Valentina carefully reached out, placing a hand on his arm.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Dick shook his head, his lips tight. Valentina didn’t step back. She continued, insistent.

“No? Okay, how about an easy question? When was the last time you ate anything?”

“It’s been a while.” Dick admitted, looking guilty.

“Well, that’s an easy fix.” She smiled. “I’m sure we can get Alfred to make you something. How about sleep, have you been sleeping?”

“A little.” Dick sighed. “I keep having…nightmares.”

“Can you tell me about them?” Valentina asked gently. Dick hesitated.

“They aren’t nightmares, really. Just…memories.”

“Of?” Valentina was quiet, but firm. He was going to have to tell her about what was happening sooner or later.

“Of...I don’t know. Old battles, that kind of thing.” He paused. “I’m just…worried. Back when I was Robin, I used to fight that mercenary, Slade. I haven’t seen him in a long time and when he came back recently…I don’t know why it bothers me so much…I just…” He shuddered, shutting up again. Valentina was patient and after a minute, he spoke.

“Back then, after we defeated him, for a while afterwards I…saw him. Or, I thought I saw him. But he wasn’t really there, and I was…hallucinating or something. God, I´m going crazy, aren´t I?” He buried his head in his hands.

“No, no, no. Dick, look at me.” She pulled his hands away from his face. Reluctantly, he looked down at her. “You are not crazy, okay? You are not crazy. You probably have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“So, I’m crazy.” Dick sounded bitter and turned away, but Valentina stepped around him, hands on hips.

“Would you call a veteran returning from war crazy?”

“What?” Dick looked alarmed. “No, of course not.”

“Would you call someone who escaped from an abusive household crazy?”

“No, but-”

“Well, then it’s simple.” Valentina smiled. “You aren’t crazy. You’ve just had to deal with a lot of messed-up things.” There was a pause. Then-

“Okay.” Dick agreed. Valentina nodded, but she knew she hadn’t proved her point yet. She could see the doubt on his face.

“I want you to say it. Tell me you aren’t crazy.”

“I…” Dick hesitated.

“You aren’t crazy.” Valentina repeated. Dick looked down at the ground.

“I’m not crazy.”

“Good.” Valentina smiled. “Feel better?”

“A little.” Dick admitted. Valentina relaxed. He was far from okay, but no one ever recovered immediately. And the fact that he was probably adding new layers of trauma every night was not going to help.

“Let’s go get you something to eat.”

When they emerged from the room, everyone looked up, first anxious, then relieved to see Dick following Valentina out into the hallway. There were no tears of happiness, no hugs of joy, but as the group paraded down to the kitchen, Valentina could see out of the corner of her eye as Damien reached up and squeezed his brother’s hand once, quickly, before dropping it again. She smiled.

There was hope for the Wayne family after all.

Alfred was quick to whip up some tea and a snack and Valentina joined the family as they sat around a small table in the kitchen. Jason made a joke and Dick smiled. Everyone at the table, grinned, relieved to see the eldest brother acting somewhat normal again.

They all began to talk, about school, about their day – even Cassandra was much chattier then usual as everyone tried their best to keep Dick’s mind off things. Valentina asked about Jason’s injury and he assured her he was doing better. Damien, Tim and Jason started arguing about what the best flavor of ice cream was, which everyone else found very amusing. Even Alfred joined in the conversation for a while.

After everyone had eaten, the group leaned back in their chairs. Dick looked up at Valentina and cleared his throat, embarrassed.

“Thank you.” He mumbled and Valentina was reminded of Cassandra’s visit earlier that week. Although they weren’t blood-related, the Wayne kids were all remarkably similar.

“No problem.” Valentina smiled. “Really. You should never be afraid to ask for my help. That’s what I’m here for.” The group all exchanged somewhat embarrassed looks and over their heads, Valentina caught sight of Alfred giving an approving little smile.

“Alfred, have you seen my gloves?” Bruce Wayne walked into the room and everyone looked up. Catching sight of the group at the table, he stopped.

“Oh. Hello, Miss Gomez.” Valentina gave a little wave and Bruce stood for a moment, looking confused, until Alfred interrupted.

“I believe they’re by the front door, sir.”

“Ah, thank you.” Bruce turned and hurried back out of the room and Valentina stood up.

“Speaking of front doors, I need to get going. It was nice to spend time with all of you.” A flicker of disappointment crossed the faces of the Wayne kids as Valentina gathered up her things. She smiled at them.

“Don’t worry, if some emergency happens, you can always come find me. Or even if there isn’t an emergency. If you just want to talk. I don’t mind.”

“Goodbye, Miss Valentina.” They called and she waved as she stepped out into the hallway. But, instead of heading straight home, she hurried along the passage, trying to catch up with Bruce. She found him, gloves in hand, standing by the entrance. Briskly, she walked up to him.

“Ah. Miss Gomez. Are you leaving?” Bruce smiled politely as she approached, but Valentina bristled.

“Don’t you ‘Miss Gomez’ me!” Valentina shook a finger at him, glaring. “Do you know why I was here today?”

“No, I-”

“Your son has, at the very least, PTSD and anxiety. And that’s only Dick, who knows about the rest of them!” Valentina bulldozed on, not allowing Bruce to protest. “I can’t believe you let them run around out there, getting into who _knows_ how much trouble. It’s a miracle none of them have died. Oh wait – but they have, haven’t they? Your children have _died_ before Bruce, and it was luck that they somehow managed to come back to life.”

“Don’t tell me how to raise my children!” Bruce snapped, flushing pink. “You think I don’t know that it’s dangerous?”

“Apparently not, because you keep sending them back out there!” Valentina yelled. “I came here because your _son_ has been hiding in his room having a panic attack for the past few days! Days! He needs therapy at the very least, before he goes and does something to himself that’s worse than just hiding in his room!”

“I am not having this conversation.” Bruce turned around and stalked off, back down the hall and Valentina threw her hands up in frustration. She had never seen any man more in denial about his life.

God, she really hoped her plan would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry i'm posting this so late. Love you guys and thank you so much for all the support! I can´t believe I've reached 1000 readers!


	9. VillainCon

Valentina walked into VillainCon, nervous but also...excited? After the events of the past week she was more determined than ever to give her presentation, even if it was risky. But there was also another part of her, a smug little voice in her head that was enjoying this a little _too_ much. _Take that, Bruce Wayne. I'm about to be a better hero than you without even putting on a bat costume._

Valentina had been assigned a timeslot in the early evening, so she had all day to get herself worked up about the presentation. She was fairly certain she didn’t want to go to any of the panels before hers (although she _would_ stay after for the dinner and an open bar, despite herself), so Valentina didn’t arrive until twenty minutes before her presentation started.

Once she had arrived, a very pretty, very dangerous-looking woman introduced herself as Selena and helped Valentina set up for the presentation. Valentina was so nervous that she didn’t recognize the name until much later that night, when she realized Selena had meant Selena Kyle, the one and only Catwoman.

 _Stay calm. This is important._ Valentina practiced taking deep breaths as she stood backstage and tried not to make eye contact with anyone.

Finally, her presentation was about to begin. She had been led to a backstage area and was currently waiting to be introduced. Unable to resist, Valentina peeked around the curtains and almost fainted. The auditorium was packed.

Selena had told her that based on the description she had given when she signed up, Valentina’s presentation had been advertised as a possible plan to defeat Batman. As it turned out, that idea was something that had interested quite a lot of people. Valentina gulped. She really, _really_ hoped she knew what she was doing.

“And now, please welcome Valentina Gomez!”

Her name had been called. Valentina took a deep breath and stepped out.

“Hi.” Scanning the sea of faces before her, she smiled nervously.

“Alright, then. Let’s get started. I don’t think many of you know me, but my name is Valentina and I am here for the same reason most of you are…I’m not a huge fan of Batman.” Several cheers of agreement rang out.

“Now, the reason I don’t like him is probably different, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together. I, myself, am not a supervillain, although I have been told that I can drive people crazy. I guess I’m just talented like that.” Valentina tossed her hair dramatically and a ripple of amusement ran through the crowd.

“So, some of what I’m going to say tonight might sound a little…not evil. But, stick with me, because it will be worth it.” She clicked a button and the slide behind her changed into a large picture of Batman. Surrounding him were smaller pictures of Robin, Nightwing – all the heroes and sidekicks he’d trained over the years.

“First things first, I’d like you to keep in mind that all of these sidekicks here are children or were when they started working with Batman. That might sound obvious, but it’s probably easy to forget considering that some of them fight just as well as adults. Usually, when a small child attacks you, they haven’t had years of training.” Valentina continued.

“Why am I saying this? These children were trained to fight for a cause from a young age. They were put into dangerous situations that most people, let alone kids, wouldn’t be able to handle. And, ladies and gentlemen, what is it called when you train children soldiers? Oh yeah, it’s a literal _war crime._ And Batman is supposed to be the good guy?”

Valentina shakes her head and the crowd mummers approvingly.

“Now, a few of you here tonight might actually have some sort of moral code or conscience that would prevent you from attacking children. I mean, the latest Robin is like, _ten._ However, for those of you who don’t, let me explain to you some of the benefits of not hurting kids…or at least, not these kids.”

“Right now, the people of Gotham practically worship their masked hero, as morally ambiguous as he may be. Many choose to ignore, or never think of some of his more…questionable decisions. But picture this: a legion of the most vile, rotten villains in Gotham city show up to fight Batman. Just another day in Gotham, nothing out of the ordinary. But when the children show up? Suddenly, these horrible villains look mortified. They shake their heads disapprovingly. They don’t want to fight children! I mean really! As far as I know, none of you here have used literal children as human shields, although I wouldn’t be surprised. It is Gotham.” Valentina sighed.

“Anyway, with this, suddenly, the population of Gotham is forced to acknowledge the fact that Batman has been using pre-teens in tights to fight his battles for him!” Valentina winces inwardly as she speaks. She is twisting the story a bit to appeal to these villains, but nothing that she has said so far was completely untrue. She scowls.

“The people have to question the judgement of their hero. And considering that child endangerment is both a federal and international crime, punishable by law, with public opinion against him, even the police of Gotham city, far too long Batman’s ally, must turn against him! Can you imagine the headlines?” The audience is waiting with baited breath and Valentina pauses dramatically, building the suspense.

“I have my own motives for wanting to protect children. The goodness of my heart and all that. But can any one of you claim not to find the picture I’ve painted appealing? Gotham and the law against Batman. And with those pesky sidekicks out of the way and the city against him, he is weaker. More vulnerable. And hey.” Valentina shrugs. “That seems like a win-win to me.”

Applause breaks out, filling the room. Cheers echo as the crowd goes wild. Valentina can’t help but grin. So, maybe she has a bit of a villain side to her. But it’s for a good cause. She takes a bow and the crowd cheers even louder. She looks up as her audience claps. There, in the back of the room, clapping and grinning like a madman, an instantly recognizable face looks at Valentina in amusement. His eyes catch hers and she can feel her blood run cold.

The crown prince of crime grins even wider. Beside him, Harley Quinn waves cheerily up at the stage.

Of course, it was just her luck that the Joker himself had come to watch her presentation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes, this chapter is pretty short BUT . . . Valentina goes to VillainCon! Either this went really well or really badly . . .


	10. When your plan works a little too well

Valentina steps up to the bar to grab her third drink. Or is it her fourth? Stuffed with a free dinner and still riding on the wave of adrenaline that hit her while up on stage, speaking in front of all those (very dangerous) people, she is far too giddy to remember. So, when a tall man approaches her at the bar, it takes Valentina a minute to remember where she had seen him before.

“I was at your panel.” The man leans against the bar next to her, giving her a sweeping look. “It was well done.” Valentina smiles and starts to thank him, but catches herself and stops, squinting at him.

“Hey, you’re that guy!” She exclaims. He turns to look at her, confused and she tilts her head to the side, examining him. “Slade, right? Didn’t you have a mask on before?”

“You’re the woman that attacked me last week.” He answers, realization dawning on his face. Valentina gasps in indignation.

“Excuse me, sir, but _you_ attacked _me_ first.” Slade looks amused at her defensive response, which makes Valentina giggle. Okay, so this was probably her fourth drink.

“Well, whoever attacked who, I have to say, it took some guts to do what you did.” Slade nods and raises his drink to her. “Not many people would be brave enough to go after me while my guard was down.”

“Well, thank you.” Valentina smiles and takes another drink. The memories of the week swim hazily in her head, and suddenly she frowns. “Wait. I’m not thanking you, never mind. I’m mad at you.”

“Mad at me?” Slade asks, still smiling. “I don’t see why. I haven’t done anything.” There is a tone in his voice that implies that he could if he wanted to, but Valentina ignores the hint, charging on.

“Yes, but the children.” Valentina said, shaking a finger at him, ignoring any instinct that might have warned her to be cautious. “Didn’t you hear what I said at the panel? You’ve messed up those kids pretty bad, you know. Especially Di-I mean, Nightwing.”

“Maybe.” Slade shrugged, unbothered by the statement. “But you said it yourself. We’re villains. Besides, it was never my intention to hurt him…badly. When he was with the Titans, I wanted him as my apprentice, not as my enemy.”

“Am I the only one in the world who knows what mental health is?” Valentina asks, throwing her hands up in the air, frustrated. “Even if you never touched him, you could still damage his mind!”

Slade looked unimpressed. Valentina scowled and leaned closer to him, lowering her voice.

“Don’t ask me how I heard about this, but I know for a _fact_ that since you came back, your ‘apprentice’ has been having anxiety attacks.” Slade frowned, but Valentina had already opened her mouth, and there was no way to stop the flow of words that came tumbling out now.

“Honestly, you hate Batman so much, but weren’t you just trying to do the same thing he was? Manipulate a child into fighting for you? I’m pretty sure that makes you just as bad as him.”

Feeling very righteous, Valentina turned up her nose and stalked away from the bar, some of her elation draining away. People had enjoyed her presentation, but they would all attack the children again in a heartbeat if they thought it would benefit them. Then again, lowering the chances the Waynes would get attacked by even a bit was worth it. Or at least she hoped it was.

As Valentina brooded, a small woman in a business suit approached.

“Miss Gomez?” Valentina looked up, startled. She didn’t recognize this woman, but that didn’t mean anything. If she was here, there was a pretty good chance she was a supervillain.

“Yes?”

“Would you come with me for a moment? My boss would like to speak with you.” The woman smiled politely, but one look at her face and Valentina doubted that she could refuse.

“Okay.” The woman spun on her heel and set off across the crowded room. As Valentina hurried along behind her, she grabbed another drink off a passing tray. Whoever wanted to see her was important enough to have henchmen – or in this case, henchwomen – working for them. She would need it.

As they approached a table on the far side of the room, Valentina took a sip, peering ahead curiously. A well-dressed man with a shaved head sat at the table, his face turned away from her as he talked to another henchman who was standing at his shoulder.

“Sir, Miss Gomez is here.” The henchwoman announced. The man turned around and Valentina almost choked on her drink.

“Ah, of course. Please, Miss Gomez, take a seat. My name is Lex Luthor.” The famed villain introduced himself, and Valentina felt a bit faint. She sank down into a chair across from him.

“He-hello.” Valentina managed to splutter.

“I was wondering if we could talk some more about your idea. I was at your panel, and I must say, I was very impressed.”

“Oh, you saw that too?” Of course. Apparently, every supervillain in the legion had been at her panel. “Okay, yeah. Um, I mean yes. Yes. What exactly did you want to know about my panel?” Valentina forced a smile and tried to remember how to speak normally.

“I was intrigued by your idea tonight.” Luthor folded his hands together and continued. “But I couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible to…help things along. You see, one of the branches of LexCorp works specifically with charities and causes such as your own. If we took your idea just a step further, I could see us using some of our influence to spread the word, so to speak. For the children. Although, naturally with the added benefit of getting rid of Batman.”

“Oh!” Valentina relaxed, pleasantly surprised. “Of course, yes. I would be glad to have your help. Although, if you don’t mind me saying so, I thought it was Superman that was your, um…nemesis.” Luthor frowned at the name and Valentina quickly continued. “Not that it’s any of my business, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“That’s quite alright.” Luthor’s face slid back into a mask of politeness. “And you aren’t wrong that the Man of Steel and I have had…run-ins. But they are _both_ members of the Justice League and I am none too fond of Batman either.”

“Oh.” Valentina took another sip from her glass. After a moment, Luthor continued.

“But that is not what I am here to talk to you about, Miss Gomez.” Luthor smiled. “I have a…proposition for you. Hearing you speak tonight, I was impressed not just by your ideas, but by the way in which you presented them. I am sure it was not easy, considering the crowd, but I believe that despite that, you reached quite a few people. If I were to start a campaign to help all those poor children, I feel it would only be right to have you as the face of the program. I understand that you currently work as a school counselor at…where was it again?” He turned to address his henchman, who checked his tablet.

“Gotham Academy, sir.” Valentina gulped. Yes, she definitely should have given a fake name when she had signed up for this.

“Yes, Gotham Academy.” Lex Luthor smiled. “I could pay you triple what they are. And, of course, you would be able to help so many more people. My company has a much farther reach then your school. What do you say?”

“Well, I’m flattered.” Valentina stuttered. “But, as terrifying as it is that you know so much about me, I don’t know if I can accept your offer. I like my job, and this is…a lot to take in.”

“Of course, take your time, think it over.” Lex Luthor smiled, waving a hand dismissively. “When you make a decision, call me. I’ll be waiting.”

With those intimidating words of parting, he rose. His henchwoman handed Valentina a business card with LEXCORP written on it in shiny lettering, along with a phone number. Smiling, she turned and followed her boss as they walked away. Valentina stood there, staring after them nervously and finished off the rest of her drink.

The business card in her hand looked like it was smirking at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the presentation went really well! Maybe too well . . . Also, all sorts of villains! They may be evil, but they are super fun to write! Anyway, please let me know what you guys think in the comments! I absolutely love essay-length comments nd they really help me with my writing!


	11. Villainous Talents

The morning after VillainCon Valentina woke up with the worst hangover of her life. Apparently, supervillains did not water down their drinks. Her head was pounding, and the memories of the previous evening were not helping. It took her most of the day, two painkillers and a long shower before she was finally able to think again.

By dinnertime Valentina felt a lot better. She had finally had a full day to herself, without superheroes, supervillains, or worst of all, small children to bother her. She had just decided to call it an early night and crawl into bed with a nice book when she realized her notes from the presentation were missing.

_Oh no._

The place on her desk where she usually left her things was empty. At first, she thought she had just misplaced them. Scanning around the room, she tried to remember the last time she had seen them. She had taken them with her to VillainCon for her presentation, of course, and then she had put them in her car afterwards. Or had she? She thought she had, but…

Valentina buried her heads in her hands and groaned. She had left them at the convention. And it wasn’t just notes on the presentation that she had brought. It had been all her notes on helping the Wayne kids. Which meant anyone who happened to pick them up could find out way more than they should about who the masked vigilantes were.

Valentina grabbed her coat and her keys. She had to find those papers, now.

It took her fifteen minutes to get to the building where the convention had been held. When it wasn’t hosting VillainCon, the building was used as a bar for criminals of all kinds, and at this time of night it was packed.

By now the doorman recognized her and let her in, waving a cheery hello. Not wasting time to consider how weird it was to be recognized in a place like this, Valentina waved back and hurried off to the backstage area where she had left her things.

Walking up to the place where she had been waiting, Valentina reached for the doorknob, only to find it was locked. She slumped against the door.

“Crap.” What was she going to do now? If only she knew how to pick a lock…

“Need help?” A familiar voice called out from behind her. Valentina turned and gave a sigh of relief as a familiar woman approached.

“Selena! Hi, yeah, I just remembered, I left some of my stuff in there yesterday. Any chance you have keys?” Valentina looked up, hopeful, inwardly questing her life choices. It wasn’t exactly on her bucket list to be on a first-name basis with Catwoman. The slim woman snorted in amusement.

“Valentina, you crack me up. I have never needed keys to get in anywhere.” Motioning for Valentina to step aside, Selena crouched down beside the door. Within seconds, there was a click as the lock turned and the door swung open.

“Thank you!” Valentina hurried into the room, glancing around as Selena Kyle flicked on the lights. Her folders sat in a corner, exactly where she had left them. Valentina rushed over, paging through the pile. Everything was still in place. She gave a sigh of relief.

“Found what you needed?” Selena Kyle asked, looking at Valentina in amusement.

“Yes. Thank you again. My villainous talents unfortunately don’t extend to lockpicking.”

“No problem.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I’m glad I could use my ‘talents’ for some good. Can’t be a villain all the time.”

“Oh!” Valentina looked up hopefully. “Does that mean you’ve been thinking about my presentation? About leaving the kids out of things?”

“Maybe.” Selena gave a wicked smile. “I usually try to avoid them anyway, in my line of work. But next time I run into them, I’ll certainly keep your little speech in mind.”

Valentina beamed, but the other woman wasn’t finished yet.

“I have to say, it seems like quite a few people were impressed by your presentation. But I couldn’t help but notice you seemed to know quite a bit about the Bat-crew.”

“Oh, really?” Valentina smiled nervously. “I guess I’ve just done my research.” She started towards the door, but Selena was still standing in the doorway and didn’t seem like she was going to get out of the way.

“I suppose. But maybe next time you should consider bringing your notes in something a little more…secure. The person helping you set up your presentation might get curious.”

“Oh. Oh no.” For a moment, Valentina could see her life flashing before her eyes. Then, Selena laughed.

“You should see the look on your face!” She giggled and Valentina blinked in confusion. “It’s okay, I already knew. Bruce and I are…close friends.”

“Oh.” Valentina relaxed. Then she heard the implication in Selena´s voice. “Oh!” She blushed. “I didn’t know about that.”

“It’s not exactly common knowledge.” Selena smirked as Valentina flushed pink.

“Well, I´m just glad I didn’t accidentally handed a supervillain Batman’s secret identity on a silver platter.” Valentina said with a nervous laugh.

“Or in this case, in a manilla folder.” Selena quipped. She stepped aside and the two women walked out of the room, heading towards the front of the building, where criminals of all kinds were enjoying themselves.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Selena offered as they approached the door. “It would be nice to have another girl to talk to that isn’t a homicidal maniac. Plus, we could complain about a certain someone who likes to wear spandex.”

“As amazing as that sounds, I have work tomorrow. Another time though. Preferably in a place where I don’t have to fear for my life.” Valentina smiled and Selena chuckled.

“Definitely.”

After thanking Selena again and waving a quick goodbye, Valentina headed out the door. Walking down the street to where she had parked, she smiled as she thought of being able to go back home and finally get a good night sleep.

Of course, with her luck, those plans were immediately interrupted as a caped figure swooped down from a building above, landing gracefully on the sidewalk in front of her.

“Miss Valentina?” Damien Wayne looked up at her.

“Hi, Da-uh, Robin. Isn’t it a little bit past your bedtime?”

“No.” Damien scoffed. “I have more important things to do then go to bed.” Valentina scowled, about to tell him that that was absolutely _no_ t true and that if he didn’t get enough sleep, he would regret it later, but Damien cut her off.

“What are you doing out here anyway? This place is dangerous.”

Valentina winced. She hadn’t yet figured out what to tell the kids about her adventures with supervillains. She couldn’t exactly say _yeah, I’ve just been hanging out with Catwoman and Lex Luthor, how was your day?_

“Well, if it’s too dangerous for me, then it’s too dangerous for you.” Valentina responded, dodging the question. Damien crossed his arms.

“I can take care of myself, thank you.”

“I’m sure you can, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe.” Valentina frowned. “I don’t want you getting hurt.” _Again._

“Whatever. Let’s just get out of here.” Damien followed Valentina to her car, looking around for any sign of a threat, ready to jump in and protect her. Valentina smiled. God, he was adorable with his little cape. She wanted to squeeze his cheeks like a grandma, but she knew if she did, he would probably never speak to her again.

Reaching her car, Valentina unlocked it, dumping her notes unceremoniously in the passenger seat. She turned around to look at Damien, who was watching her. Despite the mask, she could see the worried look on his face.

“You okay?” She asked. Damien hesitated.

“I…heard what you said to Father the other night.”

Valentina blinked, confused. That was not what she had expected. Then she remembered what had happened at the Wayne mansion a few days ago.

“Oh, God.” Valentina sighed. As important as it was for the boys to get help with their mental health, overhearing her yelling at their father was probably not the best way to tell them. “I’m sorry. Things got a little more heated then I meant them to. I stand by what I said, but I should have been calmer about it.”

Valentina looked at Damien cautiously. It was something he needed to hear, but that didn’t make it easy for her to tell him. And speaking of things she needed to be honest about…

“You know I just want to protect you all, right?” Damien nodded reluctantly and Valentina let out a heavy sigh, looking him in the eyes.

“Well, you wanted to know why I was here tonight. That’s what I was doing. Trying to protect you. I…I went to see some of the people that you fight. To ask them to stop hurting you.”

“What?!” Damien stumbled backwards, looking at her in horror. Valentina winced. For a moment she braced herself. But he surprised her.

“Why would you do that?! What if you had gotten hurt?!” He was yelling, but he wasn’t mad at her, didn’t think she had betrayed them. He was _worried_ about her. Valentina felt her heart melt. God, he was only ten years old! He shouldn’t be worried about protecting _her._

“I know. But I was more worried about you or your siblings getting hurt.” Valentina explained. Damien was staring at her, puzzled by the response.

“But we’re all better fighters than you!” He protested.

“You come into school every day with injuries.” Valentina pointed out. Damien shook his head.

“But those are little things. It’s not anything to worry about.”

“Yes, it is!” Valentina frowned. Damien was clearly imitating his father and his older siblings. In his world, you didn’t make a big deal about injuries. They were part of the job. “Damien, I know this might seem normal to you, but it isn’t. You shouldn’t be getting hurt, even small injuries, all the time. It isn’t good for your body and it isn’t good for your brain. Why do you think Dick was hiding in his room? Things like this can damage a person.”

“But-but…” Damien still looked confused. “But why are you doing this? Why are you helping? You barely know us, and this is dangerous!”

“I thought it was worth the risk.” Valentina answered simply.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

“But…” Damien trembled, and Valentina looked at him, worried. He was still wearing his mask, so she couldn’t see his eyes, but after a moment Valentina realized what was happening. He was crying.

“Oh, honey, it’s okay.” Gently she knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. A tear rolled down his cheek and landed on her shoulder.

“N-no one’s ever said…” Damien trailed off, his voice muffled by tears and Valentina squeezed him tighter.

“I know, I know. It’s okay.” Valentina kept her voice steady, but she was tearing up too. She knew what Damien was trying to say. No one had ever said something like that to him. No one had ever fought _like this_ to protect him. Of course, in a physical fight, Bruce cared about his children and would fight to his dying breath. That much was obvious. But this was different.

“I’m sorry.” Damien sniffed, pulling back from the hug. “I didn’t mean to…” He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

“Don’t apologize.” Valentina pleaded. “You’re allowed to be sad, okay?” Damien nodded. He looked so small, trying to wipe his eyes from behind his mask and Valentina sighed.

“Come on, let me give you a ride home. You need to get some sleep.” Damien hesitated, not wanting to abandon his post, but after a moment he gave in, sliding into the backseat, sniffing quietly. Valentina started the car and began the long drive back to Wayne Manor. She glanced back at Damien in her rearview mirror and smiled.

Tonight, for once, he would go to bed at the same time every ten-year-old should.

Valentina pulled up in front of Wayne Manor twenty minutes later. Damien climbed out of the car, rubbing his eyes sleepily and they walked up to the house. Alfred opened the door and Valentina smiled in greeting.

“Damien decided it would be best to actually get some sleep tonight.” She explained.

“Of course.” Alfred nodded, ushering him inside. Damien waved awkwardly to Valentina as he passed through the doorway and Valentina waved back, happy that there was at least _one_ responsible adult at the Wayne house. As Alfred pulled the door closed behind them, Damien hesitated, then suddenly, turning, ran back out to Valentina, throwing his arms around her.

“Goodnight.” He whispered, before pulling back, his face bright red and hurrying back inside. Alfred raised an eyebrow as the two adults watched Damien hurry out of sight.

“Well, I certainly hope you’ll be coming back again soon, Miss.” He commented. Valentina grinned. Whatever anxiety she had had over the past few days, Damian’s hug had certainly made up for it.

“Thanks.” She responded, smiling. “I hope so too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Valentina has a drinking buddy! They can complain about Bruce together, which is fun. But more importantly, Damien is a smol bean who needs to be protected at all costs.


	12. Coming Clean

Monday morning, Valentina had bus duty. Usually, watching a bunch if tired kids shuffle into school on a Monday was not exactly a cheerful sight. But this morning, the sight made Valentina feel as if she were floating. This morning, she watched as the Wayne kids shuffled into school. Not a single one of them had any new bruises, cuts or injuries. She smiled.

Valentina walked away from the bus loop, towards the parking lot where the kids who got dropped off, ready to wave a cheerful hello. But as she approached, she noticed someone else getting out of the Wayne’s car.

“Hello, Miss Gomez.” Bruce Wayne himself was dropping off his kids this morning. He smiled politely. “I believe we need to talk.”

“Technically, you have to schedule a meeting to talk with me.” Valentina started to explain. “If you called the school, they would tell me, and I could set something up…” She trailed off as Bruce glared at her, unimpressed. Valentina sighed. “Fine. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Bruce nodded and headed off to her office and Valentina frowned. All too soon, the first bell rang, and it was time to go back inside. Time to face whatever the hell this was going to be.

When she walked into her office, Bruce was flipping through one of the pamphlets the school had given her. They all had titles like “how to say no to drugs” and “what is peer pressure?” and they were all pretty useless. He looked up as Valentina took a seat at her desk.

“So. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Well, Miss Gomez, Damien and I had a very…interesting conversation last night.” Bruce did not look happy and Valentina had a sneaking suspicion she knew what the conversation had been about. “And he told me that you have been hanging out with some very bad people.”

“Is that what this is about?” Valentina sighed. “Because it really isn’t that big of a deal. I just asked them to stop attacking children. I really don’t see the problem with that.”

“You don’t?” Bruce gritted his teeth. “You don’t see the problem with hanging around some of the most wanted criminals in Gotham?”

“Oh, please.” Valentina rolled her eyes. “Like you haven’t done team-ups with villains in the past. Plus, I have some fairly reliable information that you dated Selena Kyle at one point.” Bruce flushed red in anger.

“That is beside the point!” He huffed. Pausing, he calmed himself, before continuing. “Frankly, Miss Gomez, I don’t trust you. If I were you, I would be more careful about the kind of people you are friends with.” Bruce got to his feet and Valentina followed suit, her eyes blazing in anger.

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” She asked, staring daggers at him.

“I simply wouldn’t want the children at this school to have any bad influences.” Bruce answered, looking smug. “And I doubt the school would approve either, if they were to hear what you’ve been doing.” Valentina fumed, too angry to even think of a proper comeback.

“Have a nice day.” Bruce added lightly, stepping out of the room. Valentina stared after him, enraged. This was ridiculous! How could he – ugh!

Flopping backdown into her chair, Valentina frowned, thinking. He had been serious about what he had said. He may not be doing it the right way, but Bruce Wayne did want to protect his children. If he thought she was a threat, he would tell the school in an instant. She needed to do something.

Finally, Valentina picked up her phone, dialing and waiting as it rang. Almost immediately, a woman answered, using the polite but patronizing tone all secretaries seemed to have.

“Hello, this is LexCorp headquarters. You’ve reached Mr. Luthor’s office. Mr. Luthor is busy right now, but I can take a message. Whom, may I ask, is calling?”

“Valentia Gomez.” There was a pause and the sound of paper rustling.

“Oh, yes. Mr. Luthor said you’d be calling. I can patch you through.” There was a beep from the other end and a few seconds later a familiar voice answered the phone.

“Miss Gomez. I was wondering when I would be hearing from you.” Lex Luthor managed to sound smug, even though the phone. Valentina bit her lip. Was she really going to do this?

“Hi…um, I was wondering, is there any chance that job offer is still open?”

“Of course.” Lex Luthor responded. “We’d be happy to have you.”

“Great.” Valentina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“In that case, when can I start?”

A little while after the final bell rang, Valentina heard a knock on her door and opened it up to see an increasingly familiar sight. Dick, Jason, Tim, Cassandra and Damien were all clustered outside and when Valentina opened the door, they all looked worried.

“What did Father say?” Damien demanded. Valentina grimaced.

“Well, he wasn’t thrilled.”

“I can’t say I am either.” Dick added, looking grim. “I don’t know the details, but I don’t love the idea of you hanging around supervillains.” Valentina nodded.

“I don’t love it either, but it’s what I had to do.”

“What exactly happened?” Jason interrupted impatiently. Valentina sighed.

“It’s kind of a long story…you might want to sit down.” Valentina stood back. “I don’t think the couch is going to be big enough for all of you, but come on in.”

The family spilled in as Valentina made her way back to her desk, elbowing each other as the office filled well beyond its capacity. Dick sat between Tim and Damien on the couch (thank god), while Cassandra sat in a chair across from them. Jason leaned against the wall, scowling and the group turned to look at her, expectant.

“So…” Dick prompted.

Valentina took a deep breath. And then she told them. Starting at the beginning, from when she thought of the idea of VillainCon, to how she gave the presentation, to the newest development with Lex Luthor , she told them the whole story. When she finished, there was a moment of stunned silence.

“You took the job?” Damien’s voice was incredulous. Valentina cleared her throat.

“Well…um…yes.”

The atmosphere of the room seemed very tense. The kids seemed to wobble between looking scared for her to being furious at her and Valentina was mentally preparing for some kind of explosion. But before anyone could start yelling, Tim spoke up.

“We can’t stop you.” Tim’s siblings turned to him in disbelief and he sighed. “This was what you meant when you were talking to me the other day. When you said that you understood why I couldn’t give up being Red Robin.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jason snapped.

“I want you guys to take better care of yourselves.” Valentina explained. “And I really wish that you hadn’t become vigilantes as young as you are.” The group looked like they were going to protest, but Valentina held up her hand.

“But…I know what it’s like to be in a situation where it feels like you’re the only one that can save someone. The feeling of wanting to help. It’s like a…duty. And it would eat away at me if I couldn’t help people. So, if I can’t stop you from putting yourselves in danger, I figured…I could try to take the danger away.”

“Exactly.” Tim nodded, but Jason shook his head.

“No! That’s not...you shouldn’t…” Jason trailed off, trying to figure out a good argument as to _why_ she shouldn’t. Damien was scowling and Dick looked worried. But Cassandra stare at Valentina with a thoughtful look on her face.

“Okay.” The group looked up, startled, as Cassandra spoke. Not only had she agreed, she didn’t exactly talk a lot, and this was the first time she had ever spoken aloud to Valentina. But here she was, nodding her head. As they looked, she gestured at Valentina.

 _“I understand. That’s exactly what it feels like to fight for this city. You’ll do what you have to.”_ Cassandra didn’t look overly excited, but she agreed. Valentina relaxed.

“I guess.” Finally, Dick shrugged and with that the tables turned. Jason and Damien both looked like they wanted to protest, but Dick cut them off.

“If you’re determined to do this, we won’t stop you. But if you’re looking out for us, then we’ll be looking out for you. And if anyone from that convention gives you any trouble, they’ll have to go through us.”

All around him, the Wayne family was nodding, and Valentina felt a surge of pride. Part of her still wanted to wrap them in bubble wrap and put them in a safe, padded, room, but she pushed it away.

“Thanks, guys.” Valentina beamed, stepping around her desk and reaching for the nearest person to give them a hug. Jason was standing next to her desk and looked absolutely mortified as she squeezed him tight. Damien smirked. Catching the look, Valentina grinned and pulled him in to.

“Hey – mph!” Damien tried to protest but Valentina had waited far too long to give the Wayne family her love and support and she was not about to stop now. Looking amused, Dick stepped forwards into the hug, followed by Tim, who, with a mischievous look on his face, crashed into Jason, who did not look very happy to be at the center of all this.

Cassandra hung back from the group, wanting to join, but hesitant. With a smile, Valentina held out her hand, and after a minute, Cassandra took it, stepping gingerly forward as Valentina (gently) wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulders.

Maybe Valentina couldn’t put them all into a safe little room. But she was an optimist. Maybe, just maybe, she could make the _world_ into a safe little room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! This chapter was a bit hard for me to write, but I hope you guys like it!


	13. Alternate Chapter

Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't update last week (and I don't have a real chapter this week either). School is starting up again and a lot has been going on. I'm trying not to put this fic on hiatus, so hopefully I'll have the next chapter finished before next week.

In the meantime, this is an alternative chapter to a previous draft of the fic. In the origanl story, I was planning to go a lot darker and have Valentina go full supervillain. Even though I didn't end up writing it that way, I thought you guys might enjoy this chapter from the original story. Have fun!

Valentina had grown up in the city, and she knew the places to avoid. The places that even just walking into could make you look bad. There was a bar that she knew, or at least knew of, that was filled with criminals. Petty thieves and supervillains congregated here, and you could find an assassin or hired thug in every corner. It was a place that Valentina had always avoided like the plague. But it had two things she desperately needed right now. Booze and other people who hated Batman. So, a few nights after Bruce Wayne had ruined her life, she got dressed up and headed to the bar.

Valentina strode in confidently, found a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. And then another one. And then another one. At first, she had been cautious, but nothing had happened so far. A couple guys and one very attractive girl in an outfit made of ivy had offered to buy her a drink, but she had turned them down and they had left her alone. Apparently, this was the sort of place where everyone was up to something, so you just didn’t ask too many questions. Which was honestly better then her experience at most normal bars. Eventually, she relaxed enough to get a good buzz going. So, when an intimidating man sat next to her and ordered a drink in a deep baritone, it took a while for Valentina to remember him.

“Hey, you’re that guy!” She exclaimed. He turned to look at her, confused and she squinted. “Didn’t you have a mask before?”

“You’re the woman from last week.” He answered, realization dawning on his face.

“Yep. You’re, um…Slade? I’m Valentina.” She giggled. “Oops. I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“Well, as long as you don’t attack me again, I think it’ll be okay.” Slade answered, eyeing her curiously. Valentina gasped, indignant.

“Excuse me, sir, but _you_ attacked _me_ first.” Slade looked amused, which made Valentina giggle again. Okay, so maybe she had had a few more drinks then she meant to.

“I have to say, it took some guts to do what you did.” Slade adds. “I respect that.”

“Well, thank you.” Valentina smiled and took another drink. The memory of the night swam hazily in her head, and she remembered something suddenly. “Wait. I’m not thanking you, never mind. I’m mad at you.”

“Mad at me?” Slade asks, still smiling. “I don’t see why. I haven’t done anything to you that you didn’t get me back, twice as hard for.”

“Yes, but the children.” Valentina said, shaking a finger at him. “I work with children and you just go around fighting them and that’s not good.”

“Ah, I see.” Slade smiles. “Well, those children are just as intimidating as I am. Trained by the Batman himself, and just as dangerous.”

“Ugh, Batman.” Valentina frowned, then shook her head. “But you’re wrong. They aren’t as dangerous as him. Just because they can fight well, doesn’t mean they should. I mean, it’s one thing for an adult to run around fighting crime, but it’s another thing to brainwash a bunch of children to do it for you. But does anyone listen to me? No, it’s fine, just let the ten-year-old get himself killed, why not?”

“Ten-year old?” Slade asked.

“Yes! Ten! The little one, the new Robin.” Valentina finished off her drink and waved the bartender over to pour her another one.

“How do you know he’s ten?” Slade asked, not smiling nearly as widely. “He could be twelve or fourteen for all you know.”

“Not that it would be much better, but yes I do know.” Valentina puffed her chest out, feeling proud. “He’s ten years old.”

“But how do you _know?_ ” Slade asked, leaning closer. Valentina smiled somewhat nervously.

“I work with children, remember? I work with him. Or, I used to.”

“You…know him? You know who he really is?” Slade had a glint in his eye now.

“Yup.” Valentina nodded. “I know who he is, and who all his brothers are and even who Batman is!” The tables around them went silent, and Valentina winced. Maybe she had said that a bit louder then she meant to. But then again…now she had an audience. An audience who everyone thought was just as crazy as her. And they were watching her with a _hunger._

“You know what?” Valentina stood up on her stool, wobbling slightly. “Yeah, I do know who Batman is!” The rest of the bar was quiet now, watching her. Even the bartender hand stopped what he was doing to look. Valentina stepped up onto the bar, using Slade’s shoulder to balance, before straightening up and looking out across the crowd.

“Batman can kiss my ass!” She announced loudly. A few chuckles and cheers rang out from the crowd, and she smiled.

“He is just as bad as everyone else in here, maybe even worse! Because, you know what, most of you probably have some limits!” She put her hands on her hips. “Batman is a rich asshole who brainwashes children! On the scale of evil, that’s like…” She held out her hands to mime a scale and squinted at it. “That’s like Joker-level evil. That’s something Joker has done.”

“Who is he? Batman, I mean. Who is he?” Valentina looked out across the crowd and saw that the pretty plant lady who talked to her earlier was looking up at her, not questioning her sanity or judgement, just truthfully wanting to know. Valentina hesitated.

“Um. If I tell you, I feel like you’ll probably hurt the Wa-I mean, the Robins. And as much as I would love to beat the crap out of Batman, they are the kids that I was saying were brainwashed. So, um…” She looked out across a very eager (and very dangerous) sea of faces.

“Why shouldn’t we hurt them?” The woman asked. “they attack us all the time.”

“Yes, but they’re kids.” Valentina responded, frowning. “Robin is ten and the other ones are fourteen and sixteen, I think. And kids that young haven’t developed yet to the point where you can really be held responsible.” There was dead silence in the bar as the people in it started to look a little more dangerous. Valentina sighed, trying again.

“Oh, come on, it’s way better if you don’t attack them! Can’t you just keep them away from you with your magic vine thingy’s? Plus, it’s pretty funny.” Valentina giggled to herself. “Like, when Batman shows up, you act normal, but then, when one of the kids shows up you just stop and shake your heads like, okay even I’m not that bad.”

She could sense she was loosing her audience and she was starting to feel desperate.

“Valentina. Who is he?” Slade’s voice asked, deadly serious. She looked down at him and gulped. Well, she might as well…

“Mmmm…Fine. Batman is actually Bru-”

The door flew open and windows shattered as cops streamed into the room. And right along with them, at the head of the crowd, was the man who had ruined Valentina’s life.

Immediately, the bar burst into a flurry of noise and chaos as people fled, cops and criminals running in every direction. There was the loud retort of gunfire and the sound of tables and chairs being knocked about. Valentina stumbled, falling off the bar, but before she could crash into the ground, Slade reached out and grabbed her, pulling her upright.

“Let’s continue this conversation somewhere else.” Half-carrying her, Slade headed towards a back door, but just as he reached out to grab the handle, a small black object flew through the air, pinning itself in the wall just inches from his head. He and Valentina spun around (her a bit slower then him) and turned to face the only man in the world obnoxious enough to own bat-shaped throwing knives.

“Let the woman go, Slade.” A very deep (obviously fake) voice commanded as Batman approached.

“I’m good, thanks.” Valentina said, glaring. Ignoring her, Batman lunged towards Slade, who pushed her aside and drew a sword. There was a clang as the weapon rebounded off Batman’s armor and then the two were at it, fighting and punching and slashing. Valentina watched, unsure if they were moving too fast to see or if her vision was blurry. She did see Slade smash a fist into Batman’s face, and she grinned.

“Get him!” She cheered. All around her fighting was going on, but she was too tired and too drunk to care. She sat down on the floor and clapped whenever Slade got a hit in. Unfortunately, that wasn’t very often. Batman was better prepared, and Slade knew it. So, grabbing a chair and throwing it at him, Slade had no choice but to flee. All around them, people were running or being captured. As the fighting began to wrap up, Batman turned to face Valentina.

“You’re a douchebag.” She informed him happily as he approached.

“And you are under arrest.”

“What? I didn’t even do anything.” Batman pulled her to her feet and roughly began leading her over to where the police were standing.

“Ow! Doesn’t this violate your stupid restraining order?” Valentina grumbled.

“Miss Gomez.” The tired-looking commissioner from earlier nodded to Batman and began to cuff her. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say-”

“I didn’t do anything!” She yelled loudly. Everyone around her ignored her. Gordon finished reading her rights and led her out to a squad car.

“Batman is war criminal!” She yelled again, but clearly no one was listening. Valentina sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

Valentina woke the next morning to a pounding headache and a concrete pillow. She groaned and rolled over, sitting up and clutching her head.

“Fuck me.” She mumbled. She squinted, trying to get an idea of her surroundings. Judging by the glaring light and awful smell, it looked like she was in a holding cell. The night came rushing back to her and she sighed. God. She was so screwed.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” She peered up from between hands to see Commissioner Gordon looking down at her. She groaned and buried her head back into her hands.

“What do you want?”

“I’m just here to tell you that you are free to go.” There was the (extremely loud) sound of a key in the door and the cell creaked open. “You’ve been released on bail.”

“I’m not paying bail. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Valentina insisted, slowly getting to her feet.

“Well you didn’t pay it. Someone else did.”

“Great.” Valentina sighed, stumbling towards the exit. Following Gordon, she stumbled out of the cell block. An officer gave her a judging look as he handed back her purse, which they had confiscated the previous night. She glared back and walked out of the station, exhausted and hungry. As she stood on the curb outside, trying to decide what to do next, a sleek, black car pulled up beside her, window rolled down.

“Miss Valentina Gomez?” A well-dressed man peered out the car window. “My name is Lex Luthor. I’m the one who paid your bail.”

“Of course.” So, Bruce Wayne had ruined her life, Batman was a war criminal and Lex Luthor paid her bail. “What do you want?”

“It’s not what I want, Miss Valentina. It’s what I can give you. I was hoping we could have a chat?” Pushing the door open for her, he waited patiently.

“Whatever.” Valentina was too tired to think about if it was a good idea or not to get into a famous supervillain’s car. She climbed in and collapsed against a seat, smiling at how blissfully dim the lighting was. Lex Luthor smiled and offered her a glass of water, which she accepted gratefully. As she drank, he watched her carefully.

“Well, Miss Valentina, as I’m sure you may have guessed, word of you little adventure last night has spread. Correct me if I’m wrong, but a little bird told me that _you_ know who Batman is.”

“I might.” Valentina replied cautiously. “But, correct me if _I’m_ wrong, I thought you were going to do something for me?”

“Of course.” Lex Luthor smiled, pulling out a checkbook. Valentina’s stomach rumbled.

“How about breakfast? I would _kill_ for some bacon right now.”

“Oh. Yes, I think we can manage that.” Lex smiled, somewhat surprised, and put the checkbook back in his pocket. And that was how Valentina ended up eating breakfast with Lex Luthor himself. As she ate, she told him her story and for _once_ , not only did he listen to her, but he believed her! When she finished, he sat back in his seat with a frown.

“Well, that certainly is troubling, Miss Valentina. Especially that interview you say you did. Why, I didn’t even hear of it! I will need to get a new secretary.” Valentina cleared her throat and gave him a look. “And of course, the children, think of the children.” Lex added.


End file.
